Cultivating a Blade
by CreativePenName19
Summary: In the middle of a small country village named Grasstemple, the soul of a hero is reborn. The evils of the land require a blade to cut them down. With help from his masters, he will become a hero of justice. Crossover with Zhu Xian
1. Grasstemple

A/N:For those of you who never read the novel here are some quick terms. They're not really strictly translated, I tried to assimilate as many like terms together in order to reduce the amount of strange vocabulary in the text. For those who read the novel before, if you see Fu instead of Fuwa I'm implying that it is of Buddhist origin. Sorry for the confusion.

Dao - Refers to Taoism

Fu - Refers to Buddhism

Mo - Refers to heretical though i.e. not the above two

QingYun - A Taoist sect

TianYin - A Buddhist sect

Esper - Basically Noble Phantasms in a sense or advanced mystic codes from the Fate universe. They're weapons with a spirit inside of them

Shixiong - Older brother disciple. The Shi part relates it disciples and the xiong means older brother. If there's enough of a response it becomes more relevant later

* * *

Since the dawn of mankind, humans have been trained to observe the strange and hostile world that they lived in. The sounds of rumbling thunder with fierce bursts of lightning, torrential rains with howling winds, devastating floods whose destruction knew no bounds, and countless other natural disasters are all factors in humanity's conclusion that these forced of nature are above the power of any one man to create. With such ruthless power before their very eyes, humans, gifted with their insight, are led to believe that divine beings govern the heavens above while demon and devils rule the earth and hells below.

In addition to this, no man can escape the cold grasp of death regardless of how powerful or great they were in life. Thus, man lusts for life's sweet delights and fears deaths cold embrace. Because of this fear, humans are invested in searching for the key to immortality. Yet, comparatively, humans were weaker than other animals and phantasmal beasts. Yet, despite this weakness, humanity still managed to dominate all other living species in nature due to a singular gift.

Humanity is able to pass on its knowledge to the next generation. Man is able to gather the knowledge accrued in their lifetime and gift to their children. The cycle repeats and, thus, man is left more knowledgeable and learned as time progresses.

Even as a man fades into death, it is believed that their soul is persevered. If a man was truly pious and saintly then he might be reborn such that his new body would have the potential to reach the heavens and join the gods. Even if a man is no so incredible in their life, they're saga will continue albeit under a different banner.

This is how the curious existence of one Zhang XiaoFan came to be. Without divine insight into one's soul, the boy was utterly mundane and unremarkable, for him to even advance to intermediate cultivation techniques would be a feat in itself. Yet, for those enlightened or spiritually cultivated to a high level, his soul would be radiant and blinding like the glint of steel under a harsh sun. A soul so unique and powerful that is was capable of warping the very foundations of reality to superimpose itself.

You see, this village bumpkin, XiaoFan, is the reincarnation of the Wrought Iron Hero, Emiya Shirou, a soul that did not belong in this era of spiritual cultivation and the search for immortality. Rather, Emiya should have been claimed by the collective manifestation of humanity to serve an its enforcer until the end of its existence. He was destined, fated, to watching his ambitions and dreams die before his very eyes, to deliver his own tragedy. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, when Alaya attempted to procure Emiya's soul, she failed to properly grasp it and, as such, the existence known as Emiya ended up being lost.

Perhaps it was a mercy that Emiya avoided this fate.

His story now begins in a small country village name Grasstemple Village. It is a small village of about forty families making up a community of about two hundred members. As a self-sufficient village that rarely interacts with the outside world, the populace mostly consisted of farmers and loggers. The QingYun (Green Cloud) sect up north occasionally made their way to the small settlement and the villagers gladly sold their surplus lumber to the cultivators. The QingYun were very generous and kind and kept unsavory folk out of the mountain range next to the village. As such, the QingYun and the villagers enjoyed a rather harmonious relationship from which they both benefitted.

The QingYun themselves were the most predominate practitioners of Dao (Taoist Spiritualism). Their various branches were based in the mountain's peaks. Their techniques and cultivation skills were known throughout the land and soon they became the most famous of all cultivation sects regardless if they were Dao, Fu (Buddhist Spiritualism) or Mo (Other/Heretical Spiritualism). They enjoyed a rather fortunate public perception. They were righteous and morally good. They banished evil from the land and kept chaos from approaching from delivering justice to villains and evil-doers.

Despite these guardians keeping watching over Grasstemple, the peaceful days were not meant to last for XiaoFan. Thus, the beginning of Emiya's tale begins when his reincarnation, XiaoFan, awakens his soul and Emiya Shirou is reborn. This is not to say that none of Emiya's mannerisms have transferred over to XiaoFan. Rather, because of the powerful nature of Emiya's soul, XiaoFan has been changed far from what he was originally intended to be.

Whereas XiaoFan would be rather unremarkable spiritually, his potential no larger than a rock, Emiya Shirou would be greater than that, possessing a lifetime of information for XiaoFan to use at his disposal. The teachings of Dao, Fu and Mo would be used in conjunction with his powerful magecraft in order to become one of the most prominent figures in the mystical world.

However, we are getting ahead of ourselves.

The tale now begins on an otherwise normal day in Grasstemple Village. Emiya Shirou had already been reborn into XiaoFan for ten years now.

* * *

The sky over Grasstemple Village was growing darker. Large storm clouds carrying cold rains approached the village quickly, an oddity considering that in the morning that the skies were clear. It was only about midday now, so such a rapid change in the weather is rather strange and ominous.

Zhang XiaoFan was doing his service to the village he lived in by performing his chores. Ordinarily, the children would simply help around the house or help with mundane organization, their bodies could be directed by competent adults without any question. However, XiaoFan was always very physically strong and, as a result, often was given tasks to help the adults chop up wood.

As XiaoFan finished up with his share of work, he looked up to the sky and is brow furrowed in confusion and concern.

It was always better to be safe than sorry. In the same vein is was also better to be dry than wet and freezing, the mountain rains were always very chilly. The young boy returned his small hatchet to his simple rope belt and began to bundle the wood.

Always the good Samaritan, he looked for the only other person still out in the woods, most likely to watch him and make sure nothing bad or unfortunate happened.

"Uncle Wang!" The young boy called out, "I'm done with the firewood! You should get back; the sky is dark!"

Said 'Uncle Wang' turned his head around to where kid was shouting. XiaoFan was pointing to the dark and broody sky. A light of understanding appeared in his eyes.

"Alright! You head back first without me; I still have to gather my things."

With that, XiaoFan headed back towards the village proper, hoping to deliver the result of his chores before the rains began.

Grasstemple village was a very quiet and quaint village. Whereas a major city such as Sunstream, located about a hundred miles to the southeast, may have housed over a hundred-thousand individuals. Grasstemple only had two hundred and then some villagers. They seldomly interacted with the outside world. Thus, all members of the community were expected to help out for their own continued survival. It was a humble life without luxury.

The only group to regularly visit the village were the QingYun sect. They occasionally sent one of their members down from the mountains to purchase any excess firewood and provisions that the village may not have needed.

Whenever their representative arrives, it was always a busy day at the village. Sometimes they traded in luxury goods or spices that could entice even to most devout man. Young XiaoFan enjoyed collecting various spices and condiments to add to his cooking. His mother's food, while tasty, was rather plain in comparison.

For the children, the QingYun were popular because they were heroes in their eyes. Their regal bearing combined with expensive robes gave the impression that they were all people of importance. The blades on their backs or strapped to their waists were further proof of their spiritual cultivation, as members of the QingYun sect were only granted these Esper blades when they reached a certain milestone in their cultivation. The children all aspired to be like the QingYun, but none more so than XiaoFan.

Ever since his parents first told hm stories of the QingYun, he had always wanted to be like them. He didn't care if he became a member of their sect himself, he just wanted to become a hero. He wanted to travel the lands and slay evil while saving people. The romantic ideas of heroinism stuck will the boy since early childhood until now and, with each passing day, his resolve only grew stronger.

Having managed to arrive at the village gates, Shirou quickly rushed back to his home and deposited the firewood in a neat pile where it belonged. He had done his chores rather quickly today, so he hoped that he could still catch up with his friend. As such, after washing his face very quickly using a basin and some clean water, he rushed back outside towards the old Grasstemple.

The residents of Grasstemple village knew what the namesake of their village referred to, but they didn't know the significance of the monument itself. As such, since it was of questionable religious significance, the villages rarely took care of the structure. Throughout the years and generations of residents, the temple had fallen into a sorry state and seemed to be on the verge of collapse. It made the perfect playground in the eyes of the children much to the concern and annoyance of the parents who believed that the kids would be crushed under stone.

"Ah Shirou! Are you done with your chores for today?" Came a voice from behind him inside the temple.

"JingYu!" The boy quickly turned around gave his best friend, Lin JingYu, a beaming smile. "Yes, I had just finished only a moment ago."

"That's good to hear. You missed us playing hero of course." JingYu pointed towards the ground in front of him.

Three boys held another down while their fourth member reenacted a QingYun purifying technique. The boy on the ground was the Mo (Heretic) for the day.

"Begone demon! Thunderblade!" One of the children excitedly shouted before smacking the boy on the floor with the stick he was holding.

XiaoFan – Shirou - looked on with concern entering his eyes. He turned to JingYu.

"Hey, JingYu, isn't this a bit excessive…"

"Hmm?" JingYu crossed his arms and smirked. "Nah, they're just playing, they're not really hurting at least."

"Wow, you older kids are strong…" Shirou drolled.

"Ha, and you'll be just as strong when you get to our age." JingYu witted back.

Then a deeper voice came from within in recesses of the temple and began to chant. The jingling of prayer beads echoed through the crumbling temple.

"My, my. Such violent temperament." An old Buddhist monk emerged from the back of the temple. Two fingers quickly darted out and struck the boy with the stick in the forehead causing him to collapse into a boneless heap on the floor. Falling to the ground in a kneel, the monk struck the 'Mo' boy with two fingers on his forehead as well. The bruises on his shins and arms began to fade rapidly.

"JingYu, who is he?" Shirou turned towards the older boy besides him. Unfortunately, his friend was as equally clueless and could only shake his head in defeat.

The monk then fully stepped out of the dark backs of the temple and revealed his full glory. His face was old and wrinkly, depicting years of wisdom and experience in an instant. His hair had long left him, not even a small beard was left on his face. His robe was old and worn, and from top to bottom, he was very dirty. Held between his hands was a rosary of jade beads, each of which was crystal clear and blinded the eye with their brilliance. There was a single strange bead on the string, a single dull purple bead that was neither jade nor stone.

The old man must have heard out whispering for he turned towards us and stared at JingYu. His gaze was like a hawk and one felt utterly vulnerable before it. It was as if all of one's life secrets were on display before the wizened monk. The gaze relaxed as the monk rumbled his throat in approval of something.

"Very good potential, but a rather rotten nature."

He then met Shirou's eyes with the same stare he gave to his friend, JingYu, earlier.

What the monk saw astounded him. While the boy's body possessed a very limited spiritual potential, his soul was rather curious. The old Buddhist monk watched epic battles waged against heroes and gods alike, wielding power not unlike that of the highest echelons of QingYun and TianYin (Heavenly Song) sects did. Espers of such destructive capability that he had never seen prior to this moment were on full display, and this boy in front of him managed to wield all of them with startling experience.

Thus, when the monk broke contact with Shirou, he was not surprised to find that his face had broken out in a sweat.

"Interesting… A unique potential." The monk muttered.

"Excuse me sir, but who are you? It just that we've never seen you in the village before."

The monk simply continued to stare at Shirou, the question said boy asked ignored entirely.

"A tragic end, but a twist of fate allows him to begin anew…"

JingYu glared at the old monk and started to pull on Shirou's hand.

"XiaoFan, this old monk is weird, let's not bother with him. Come, let's get someone else to deal with him." JingYu used his friend's given name to convey his seriousness. The younger boy just nodded in approval and followed his older friend out of the temple back into the village.

The storm clouds continued to gather. There would definitely be a storm tonight.

Back in the temple with the old monk, the single violet bead began to glow ominously.

* * *

It was midnight when the first rumble of thunder was heard.

However, there was something far more sinister at work this night than just some simple storm.

The old monk was still in the crumbling temple, meditating. He looked up from his sport towards the mountains. Mount QingYun was getting rather hazy. There were no people about, no one awake at this hour. The only sounds were that of the wind and thunder.

As a flash of lightning struck and lit up the entire temple for but a moment. Already the old monk was standing by the temple entrance, looking up at the sky.

A thick black fog began to run through the village from the west-end. The old monk, stalwart in his observation, stayed at the entrance and observed the black fog.

Suddenly, the black fog spiraled, like a tornado, and began to move towards the temple rapidly. Even as the apparition was traveling at a great speed, the monk could make out JingYu's body from within the spiraling fog

Without a moment of hesitation, the monk left from the temple entrance into the black spiral.

"Huh?" A sound of surprise came from an unknown place within the mass of darkness. The black tornado stopped after the extraction, the black gas rose up and circled the temple from above.

After a few moments, the old monk reemerged, carrying JingYu on his right shoulder like a sack. Part of his cassock had been torn from the howling winds he rushed into.

Under the fading light, JingYu's eyes were closed, though, it was difficult telling if he was sleeping or if he had fainted.

The monk hadn't put JingYu down. Looking up at the circling black fog, he said, "Your skill is deeply profound. But why are you attacking a little child? For shame."

"And who are you? You dare interrupt my plan?" A voice echoed from the darkness above.

The old monk ignored the voice and said, "Mount QingYun is near here. If QingYun knew that you were killing people here, I fear that even someone on your level would struggle."

"What is QingYun, but a bunch of blundering fools? Quantity is no matter if all of their members are weak." The voice responded to the monk with disdain, "You, bald-headed monk, give me that boy now!"

The monk clasped his hands together before responding, "Unfortunately, my Buddha of mercy prevents me from fulfilling your request. This old monk must not give this child to you."

"Stupid bald-head! You want to die."

As the darkness spoke, a red light began to flash. The energy and spirits of the dead began to flood the temple. The monk, knowing what the technique was turned angry.

"Poison Blood Banner!" He shouted, "Animal! Demon! You practice such an unnatural technique; I must not let you go!"

The darkness did not respond to the insults aside from a chilling laugh. The skies turned red and the acrid stench of blood saturated the air. A large magical seal, two meters in diameter appeared from the cloud of darkness. The howling of the wind was replaced with the wailing moans of the dead; the clap of thunder replaced with the sound of crushing bones.

"Die for your impudence, bald-head!" The darkness shouted. A ghostly face began to emerge from the magical seal. A demonic face with three horns, four eyes, pointed teeth with fangs fully manifested within a couple of seconds. The wails of the dead increased to an almost deafening volume.

When it had fully manifested, a shout like the sound of thunder came from the darkness and the apparition solidified. It's four eyes opened to cry tears of blood. Its visage caught in perpetual horror, uttering a demented wail. The souls of the dead that made up the apparition seeking for its own release from the hell they had been dragged into.

Seeing the technique performed, the monk only grew more and more angry. The stronger the technique performed by a user of the Poison Blood Banner, the more sacrifices in both blood and souls were needed to power it. With the power that the man invested into the apparition, he was using the entirety of the village to fuel it.

This demon had no heart!

Even as the ghost got closer to the monk, he still didn't put JingYu down lest the man behind the darkness snatched him while he dealt with the technique. His right hand was occupied, securing the body of the body onto his shoulder. Using his left hand, he gently shook the Jade Prayer Beads causing them to release a soft golden light. He drew in a circle in the air in front of him, forming the Mark of the Lion. Gold light flashed from his fingertips and then he gave the rosary another shake.

A golden wheel appeared, large enough to block the ghost the man shrouded in darkness conjured.

"If all you have if this little trick, then…" The monk didn't get to finish his sentence as he felt his right arm get bitten by something. Immediately, his body became numb with paralysis and his eyes dimmed. The golden wheel in the sky blocking the ghost faltered for a second, it would break any second now.

The ghost, tired of the stalemate with the wheel, let off an unholy moan as its forehead split in half. A large fifth eye emerged from the gap and left the main body, smashing into the golden wheel, destroying it and colliding with the monk's chest.

The old monk was thrown back into the temple, JingYu dropped to the ground behind some rubble. The monk's ribs broke as he crashed into the wall with enough force to collapse it.

With a wild laugh from the darkness above; the ghostly apparition dissipated.

The old monk stood up from the rubble around him, blood spouted out from his mouth and dyed the remains of his cassock crimson. The portion of his chest that ghost struck was charred black and letting off vile black fog. The poison, in addition, was already circulating throughout his body and fast approaching is heart.

He looked at the body of JingYu on the ground and he saw a colorful centipede come out from under his clothes. It was the size of one's palm with seven uniquely color tails. A creature equally beautiful and horrifying.

"Seven Tails Centipede!" The monk let out in a low groan.

The fog coming from his chest wound intensified, blood kept flowing from his mouth like a river. It seemed like he was going to collapse but his will alone kept him standing.

The old monk looked up towards the circling black fog, "You hid that rare poison with the boy and waited, hiding your strength, finding the right time to attack me. You're after my life, aren't you?"

"As expected of one of TianYin's Four Divine Monks! You are correct." A cold laugh came from the darkness as it began to monologue. "It is not easy to face your TianYin skills, PuZhi, even for a cultivated Mo such as myself. Yet, I'm not without mercy. The boy is quite tempting no? He has such great spiritual potential; it would be a waste to snuff it out. Give me the Sinister Orb; I will grant you your life by giving you the antidote to the poison that ravages your body."

PuZhi smiled, "It's a shame that my name means wisdom then." His face grew serious. "Besides, I cannot stand the thought of you practicing Poison Blood Banner. How many have you killed just to power that spell. It would be against my name to even consider giving you the Sinister Orb!"

A mad laugh escaped from the clouds. "If that is your answer, then go see your Buddha!" The ghost that dissipated prior had reemerged. Its target was already known and it had already tasted its flesh. With a demented wail, it rushed towards the old monk.

Despite his poisoning, PuZhi was still a cultivated monk. His tattered cassock billowed without the wind. His body still stood proudly despite his injuries and seemed larger than before. His left hand, filled with Fu energy, broke the string of the Jade Prayer Beads. The beads flew in front of PuZhi, glowing a soft gold with the sole exception of the dull purple orb which fell straight to the ground.

Yet, PuZhi's hand turned and grabbed the falling orb, pocketing it in the rags that his cassock had become. His hand then fell into place forming the Vase Seal. His entire body seemed to shine with golden light.

"Yan, Ma, Ne, Ba, Mi, Mou! Six Words Incantation!" The monk shouted. Upon finishing the incantation, the ghost had halted its advance. The holy energies radiating from the prayer beads froze it mid-air. The divine energy prevented such evil from making contact with the monk.

Although he blocked it, it was with considerable strain upon his weakened body. His body shook and he fell back a little. The poison of the Seven Tails Centipede was the most powerful. Even with a hundred years of Fu practice to reinforce his body it was still difficult to defend against.

Despite the grim situation, a smile appeared on his face.

"Dai!" The monk roared and a prayer bead broke into pieces. He thrust the bead forward, it had become a lance of light from being shattered. The energy it once contained no longer having a body, it was seeking to be used.

The darkness above cold only curse at this development.

Yet, before he could do anything about it, the monk had already destroyed another seven or eight prayer beads and turned them into weaponized light. He hurled them at the ghost before the man in the dark fog could do anything to supplement his creation.

When the last lance of light made contact with the ghost construct, it had fell apart. It splattered against the ground with a sickening squelch, the blood of its three-hundred victims pooled from its impact.

At the same time, PuZhi coughed out blood from his lungs. It had already turned black.

"You shitty bald-head!" Enraged the darkness above began to coalesce and solidify at the ground. A man shrouded in darkness emerged from the fog.

Both of their attention was quickly taken by a shout from the entrance of the temple.

PuZhi saw the boy, Shirou, he met earlier that day let out that unearthly scream.

The man of darkness only seemed amused by this. "Ho? This is an interesting development. Well, well, how will you salvage this? Ahh what a joyous occasion! One of TianYin's Four Divine Monks will die here today. Of course, I'll offer you one final time, the antidote for, for both you and the boy, in exchange for the Sinister Orb."

PuZhi's eyes began to leak black blood. "Even if I am to die here today, I must kill you, demon! The remainder of the prayer bead unused from the previous encounter flew towards the Mo.

The beads exploded and crackled against their target, bathing the surrounding area in soft green light. Yet, the mass of darkness was unaffected in the end. From the dense fog, a man strode forwards. A simple cloak, black as night, hid his features away from everyone. Only his red eyes were visible underneath the cloth. A sword was strapped onto the back of the garment.

"He, he," PuZhi chuckled, "Mister is so strong. Makes me wonder why you don't show your face."

The man ignored the monk and declared, "Bald-head, today I must kill you!"

He grabbed the blade from his back and slowly unsheathed it, pointing its tip towards the heavens. The blades gave off a soft light in contrast to the vicious atmosphere. It was luminescent, but still gentle to the eyes.

"Nice sword…"

The man ignored the monk again. He took seven steps forwards towards PuZhi, his sword pointing to the cloudy skies the entire time.

Rage of the nine skies, turn thyself into divine thunder.

"Thunderblade!" PuZhi's eyes widened in shock from the verse.

Might of heaven, fill my sword!

"You are from QingYun!" Cried the monk.

The skies grew darker if even possible and lightning began to arc to-and-fro, the beginnings of a huge storm began to roar.

* * *

It was midnight when the first clap of thunder was heard.

"Alright!" Came a muffled excited voice from Shirou, "Now to go find Mr. monk."

Fearing that the old monk would be cold and hungry in the dilapidated temple, Shirou had prepared some blankets and food for the old man. He couldn't deliver it during the day however, JingYu kept him away from the strange man and his parents would have noticed missing foods and blankets during the day.

Yet it was Shirou's charitable heart that could put simultaneously save him and put him in the greatest peril.

When he had finished his preparations, the sky was already red and the stench of blood had already taken over the entire village. The child's mind was frightened, yet for some strange reason, he was willing to abandon his survival instincts to deliver the small bundle to the monk.

In the distance, where Grasstemple was, he could see a ring of black fog circling the structure ominously. Flashes of golden and crimson light frequently forced him to squint. The child, now worried for the monk in more ways than before hurried towards the temple.

Yet, when he got there, he dropped the bundle for the monk and yelped in surprise at the scene.

The small sound was enough to get grab the attention of the Seven Tails Centipede. The creature launched at the boy with unnatural speed and bit.

This time, Shirou let out an earthshattering scream.

Yet, while the two combatants continued to duel, the poison of the Seven Tails Centipede continued to ravage Shirou, rather XiaoFan's, body. From this point, the natural course of events should be obvious. The toxin is not meant to be taken lightly, only with a hundred years of Fu training, a training that raises the body's vitality, was PuZhi able to survive the poison. Even still, the old monk is suffering greatly.

In another world XiaoFan wouldn't have gotten bitten by the centipede and his body wouldn't have to fight the poison. It was because he dropped the supplies meant for the old monk that the centipede first took note. Originally, XiaoFan would have simply screamed in shock at the scene, alerting both PuZhi and the centipede at the same time, allowing the monk to drive away the beast from the young boy in time.

Fortunately for XiaoFan, he was the reincarnation of one Emiya Shirou. Whereas other versions of him would never access this heritage over innumerous timelines, the poison from the Seven Tails Centipede acted as a catalyst for the soul to transform. The soul of a hero was anything but normal. It would not stand to be snuffed out at such a tender age when its previous incarnation had died so gloriously on his own terms.

Thus, if the body was inhibiting this, then the soul would simply discard the body.

His hair was the first to change. Originally XiaoFan had silky black hair. The color lightened and the strands began to clump until it turned into a messy auburn mop. His eyes, changed from dark brown to golden pools, so intense that they looked like molten gold. The facial structure didn't require any modifications as it was essentially the same as the previous incarnation.

However, the soul realized that the body of XiaoFan possessed no magical circuits. Given the body was still young and the abundance of mana saturating the air for the soul to work with, it simply willed them into existence. Fifty magical circuits of divine quality were granted to the young boy, twice the number he had in his previous life and all of a vastly superior quality.

His magical element and origin were shifted. XiaoFan was original aligned with metal more than anything else and his origin had yet to be defined in his life. The soul simply used Emiya Shirou as a template for it to fill. With an abundance of high-quality magical circuits, they would be able to far exceed the accomplishments of the previous incarnation. Unlimited Blade Works was unlocked for the boy however, he would have to rediscover its secrets himself.

Lastly, using the remain energy that it could, the soul purged all anomalies from the body of its host. Minor imperfections and diseases were erased from its existence. Organs ravaged by poison were repaired instantaneously and muscles atrophied for like reasons found themselves healthy and strong.

With its work done, the soul had gifted Emiya Shirou a body worthy of a hero. The existence known as Zhang XiaoFan couldn't adequately describe him anymore. Rather, it was more of Emiya Shirou in both appearance and spirituality alone. The only aspect that remained of XiaoFan was his personality and mind.

Whist the soul would have liked to gift its new body with all the knowledge its previous incarnation had accumulated, doing so would have likely killed the boy and rendered the entire ordeal it had underwent moot.

In the world of cultivation, intense, deep meditation is a normal activity in order to further one's spiritual cultivation. In this meditation, the reawaken Shirou would slowly rediscover his talents as his new body and mind would allow.

* * *

The clash between PuZhi and the mysterious cloaked man didn't stop for Emiya Shirou's reincarnation. Rather it been taken to another level.

Thunderblade was the pinnacle of QingYun magical technique. It summoned a celestial thunderstorm overhead and redirected a bolt of pure natural lightning into ones Esper. It was the reason why so many QingYun used swords as their Espers, such a conduit allowed for both easy gathering and usage of the energy.

Yet, most of these members would never be able to obtain Thunderblade. The user must have achieved a high level of spiritual cultivation and understanding of the mystical realm to even attempt to perform the technique. If a spiritual initiate attempted to perform it, he would either be met with nothing if he was lucky enough to be completely inept or the insides of his body rupturing in response to the drain in energy.

As the clouds continued to the gather and the QingYun man's blade began to create an electric blue shell, the implications of such a technique were not lost on PuZhi. To perform Thunderblade was a miracle in itself. Even if a QingYun disciple had one, or two, thousand years to practice their cultivation, it wouldn't matter in the end as they would still not obtain the base requirements for such a technique. Thus, the person in front of him, the one who wanted him dead, must have been a high-ranking member of QingYun.

QingYun had a traitor in its upper echelon.

With a loud clap of thunder, the shock of which made PuZhi's ears buzz, a streak of lightning shot down from the heavens; coming down into the earth and falling on to the tip of the Mo's sword.

At that very moment, the man in black body swelled. His eyes, snapped open as if he was about to burst with divine energy, the very orbs replaced with the same divine lightning that raced down onto the sword. The entirety of Grasstemple was no longer red and dreary due to a heretical technique and was bathed by a strong light almost as bright as dawn

Lightning now danced upon the edge of his sword in the night so beautiful that it would bring a normal person to rapture.

The man only released a loud bellow; his left hand pointed at the Buddhist Monk, giving the wild technique a target. With a single swing of the sword, a crescent of lightning rushed towards the monk, obliterating anything in its path and only leaving a trail of scorched each behind it.

PuZhi for his credit did not panic. He had only seen and heard of the legendary Dao technique and never fought against it. Since he was of the Fu sect, he was not privy to the secrets of the other.

He took three steps backwards and removed the last bits of his tattered cassock off of his body. The old monk clasped both his palms together. His body began to light up with the same golden light as before, but now it was noticeably weaker.

"Buddha of Compassion!" PuZhi declared solemnly.

The remaining prayer beads still in PuZhi's possession shattered. Together, the divine light originating from each of them formed a shield against the mysterious man's Thunderblade technique.

The next moment, the two clashed in full.

The remains of Grasstemple behind PuZhi exploded and fell apart.

The wind stopped, thunder silenced, the entire world seemed to come to a standstill to the clash of power. Despite his experience and power, PuZhi was still weakened by the poison. He also didn't have enough prayer beads when casting the technique to match or overpower it. The stalemate would ultimately end in his loss.

Yet, the thought of two young boys depending on his survival fueled him to continue. The rest of the villagers were most likely dead, the Poison Blood Banner having feasted on their life-force. Thus, the thought of the last two boys behind him perishing was sacrilegious. His body, fueled by the desire to protect the boys found the last vestiges of strength that PuZhi gladly fed into his technique.

With a roar from the monk, the technique overcame the Thunderblade from the traitorous QingYun. The arc of golden light that acted as a shield raced towards the cloaked man. There was not enough time to prepare another Thunderblade to defend again the wave.

Yet, it would turn out that the man wouldn't have had to conjure another. A ripple in space appeared over his visage and the black fog swirled into the aberration. A mad glint in the figure's eyes was the last thing that PuZhi saw before the anomaly closed and the man was gone from Grasstemple.

The old monk let out a heavy sigh as he took a brief respite from the battle.

PuZhi slowly walked over with shaky steps towards Shirou. However, the boy's new appearance caused a brief bit of confusion. In order to confirm that it was indeed the same boy, the monk once again peered into his soul

Just like the day prior, he was utterly enchanted by the contents of the young boy's soul, though, this time it did seem duller. His previous analysis the other day on the spiritual potential of the boy would also have to corrected. It would appear that his potential was now even greater than that of JingYu!

'Remarkable,' he thought to himself.

The old monk grabbed the prone body of Shirou and carried him over to a slightly cleaner area of the collapsed temple. He also moved the body of JingYu.

Placing the two children on the ground, he felt a pain in his body, as if two halves were splitting. In his weakened and tired state, he was no longer able to cope with the pain and he too collapsed onto the temple floor next to the two unconscious boys.

He inspected his chest; his torn and charred cassock had been discarded long ago in the battle. He could see the spiderweb like network of veins on his body, all of which were pitch black and pointing towards the single spot unaffected, his heart.

A wry smile slowly arose on his face. He reached into a pouch clasped onto his pants. He hand was trembling, moving shakily and erratically and thus the process was slow. Eventually though, he was able to withdraw a red pill no larger than the size of a fingertip.

With only a brief, fleeting moment of hesitation, he slowly and carefully brought his shaking hand to his mouth and swallowed the pill.

PuZhi sighted and whispered to himself, "Hard to believe that Dr. Go was right. I still had to take his "Three Days from Death" pill at the very end."

A soft rain began to fall.

It was as if the heavens were weeping.

"Dao medicine in this form is amazing." PuZhi muttered to himself. "Such godly power. Perhaps if it was used with my Fu teachings, I would have been able to discern the secret of immortality."

A long sigh ran through the monk's body. "It's a shame that Master Dao XuanZhen's faction is stronger than my own. My other three shixiongs can't put aside their differences and cooperate. A real tragedy."

PuZhi look back towards the two children still unconscious, sleeping on the floor of the temple remains. The rain was gradually getting stronger and wind began to rise, and wet their hair and faces. The temple had already been on its last legs, but now, it was utterly destroyed. There was no nearby place around to block the storm.

His mind grew taut with concern. In the end, he couldn't help but be concerned for the two children. He had been forced to use his spiritual energy in conjunction with the remainder of the Buddhist treasure Jade Prayer Beads in order to erect to barrier with strong anti-Mo properties in order to block that man's Thunderblade.

In the end, it didn't matter, the man had disappeared into a void.

Regardless if the other man lived or not, PuZhi was badly injured and poisoned to the extent that he couldn't even entertain the thought of survival.

"That devil, even if he was injured, will come back to kill the witnesses. I fear that all of the village peoples' lives will be at risk."

PuZhi's mind was growing confused. "This… What should I do?"

Although he was very intelligent and knowledgeable, the burdens on his body and mind slowed down his thought. He found himself worrying about the lives of innocent people; however, the man he had fought had performed Thunderblade and thus had a high status in QingYun. He couldn't simply rush up the mountain and ask for help, the one who came here today would simply finish what he started.

In his mind, the situation had no clear path. It was truly regrettable. Yet, there was a larger regret that weight upon his heart, a task that he and those before him wished to see completed. He was one of TianYin's Four Divine Monks, admired by the world, honored by others. To him, the titles were just decorations, he was most interested in the riddle behind life and death, untying the knot of immortality.

Yet, fifty years ago he had come to a conclusion. His Fu teachings only enhanced his body and the skill of his practice; he could not solve the riddle of life and death with Fu alone.

The next decades he had pondered the development in earnest. Today, the Fu along with Dao and Mo reign as the most prosperous three religious sects and were deeply seated in magic and spiritualism. The Mo had developed a bad reputation, employing an excuse of the ends justifying the means to justify their cruel and sadistic methods.

However, the Dao sect was the counterpart to Fu teachings. Its intensive training and wonderous skill when combined with Fu teachings might have been able to break the dead-knot.

But such a radical prospect had never been pursued, he had always been open-minded compared to the rest of the world. His shixiongs said that it was heretical, evil in nature. The Dao were no better. He had visited QingYun alone many times, yet, Master Dao XuanZhen always rebuffed him.

'There are only a handful of hours left to live now, what use is there wanting to live forever?' The self-deprecating thought arose along with a wry smile on his face.

PuZhi picked up the two children still laying on the ground, on hefted over each of his shoulders. In the distance, he saw a pine tree that could block a little wind and rain. While nothing of note, it was better than nothing and certainly better than remaining in the crumbling temple. With effort, he was able to transport the children there.

He managed to persevere until he came to stand under tree. He carefully placed the two children down on the grass beneath the pine. PuZhi, exhausted, suddenly sat down and gasped for breath.

He looked at the sky, dark as ink, covering the world and recoiled at the sight. The dark clouds grew lower to the earth, bringing their cold rain that chilled a man to his heart. He looked back at the two children.

"Young ones, this old monk really wants to help, but his strength is leaving him. Everything happened because of me, but the harm came to you two as well."

He let out a sigh and continued, "If you were QingYun disciples, at the mount among the rest of those people, it should be safer, but now…"

Suddenly, PuZhi's mouth dropped open, shocked. In his mind, the words "QingYun disciple" repeated over and over again in his mind. His mind, addled with poison had difficulty full formulating his thoughts still and after a few moments his whole body began to sweat.

Then, within his eyes, for an unknown reason, excitement and madness began to appear again.

He let out a mad laugh, his sorrows and self-deprecation could be heard in the cry.

"Amazing, it's all so clear now!" He turned back to the boys "Even if I am to die soon, if I pass one of them my Fu teachings and then place them in QingYun to practice Dao, I would be able to save their lives and still complete my wish!"

His mind was invigorated and settled on the task; his very existence was excited.

This must have been the purpose he was granted by the gods! He turned towards Shirou's unconscious body. Both of the boys possessed substantial spiritual potential, but PuZhi was ultimately drawn to Shirou's soul. The soul of a hero would only compound upon his teaching and hopefully make the path clearer and well defined. Not only that, but the boy far exceeded JingYu's potential now as well!

With his past life he gleamed from observing the boy's soul, he was confident that the young boy could hide the practice. The factional and religious differences today were very important. If one were to learn secret techniques behind one's master, that pupil would be sentenced to death most definitely. While there was nothing wrong with JingYu spiritually, he simply had faith in the prior experience of a reincarnated soul to keep the secret better.

Firmly resolved in his decision now, PuZhi did not hesitate. He reached out towards Shirou and placed two fingers upon his forehead. Using the last of his strength, he woke the boy up.

* * *

When Shirou woke up, his eyes were blurred and his ears were ringing. It took a few moments for him to regain his sight. For some strange reason, his eyesight seemed better, sharper than earlier in the day.

PuZhi was sitting in front of boy watching the last vestiges of unconsciousness leave his form. Shirou took in his wounded form. The monk's left side was completely burdened, the skin charred black and ugly. His face had a heavy, dark air about him as if he was on his death bed. His chest was a spiderweb of blackened veins the only sanctuary not breached was his heart. A smoldering crater could be seen in the center of his chest, blackened and spewing a foul black fog into the air.

Yet despite all the pain that PuZhi was in, he was smiling.

JingYu was still unconscious next to Shirou. The old monk looked deathly tired, as if he couldn't take a single step. It was mostly likely why only he was woken up.

"Who are you?" Shirou asked again, it would be the third time he asked the question.

It would also be the third time he was ignored. The monk just continued to smile.

Finally, after catching his breath PuZhi began "Young boy, it was dark and stormy outside. Why did you come to the temple?"

Shirou could only fidget, slightly annoyed that his question was ignored again.

"I saw you standing at the temple at dusk," The boy began, "I knew it was going to rain later and that the temple was in poor repair. I thought that it would be cold, so I came to give you something to eat and keep you warm."

The monk's lips curled up into a larger smile at my response. Placing his palms together he replied, "Good, good. You're spirit shines beautifully. All things are destined to be, my Buddha of compassion."

Shirou only stared at the monk in confusion.

PuZhi noticing this, let out a small laugh, "This old monk thinks that it was destiny, fate, for us to meet. If that is so, then this old man practices a special set of incantations, perhaps you would be willing to learn?"

Little did the monk know about Shirou's ambition to become a hero of justice.

The lightshow that was the battle between PuZhi and the traitorous QingYun had inspired the young boy. Before, he had only dreamed of wielding such power or heard about it from his parents. Now an opportunity to learn how to wield it himself had come; he was not going to refuse it.

"What is an incantation?" Yet, his mind was still of a ten-year old, there were a good many things he still did not understand.

PuZhi seemed surprised at Shirou's puzzlement, but he reminded himself that he was but a ten-year old boy who had lived in the country his entire life. The monk let out a laugh despite his failing body.

He stretched out his bony hands and managed to touch Shirou's forehead and said, "It's nothing complicated, I'm just going to teach you some breathing methods. I don't have the time for much more."

Shirou nodded, the monk seemed to be in pain from simply breathing.

PuZhi's face grew rather serious and he leaned forward. "After you learn them, I need you to promise me a few things, okay?"

The child's mind couldn't properly grasp the severity of the situation and he hesitantly nodded and said, "Say them."

The monk's face grew solemn, "You must never talk about this to anyone else, even to your relatives or your closest friends you cannot speak of this. Can you do this?"

Shirou gave a nod in response, "I understand. Even under the threat of death, I'll keep the secret to my grave."

"Such a serious young boy…" The monk took a deep breath, closed his eyes and continued. "In addition, you must practice what I give you every day, you cannot practice this in front of people for that would reveal your secret, only do so in the middle of the night when no one is nearby. Finally, if your life is not in danger, you cannot use this practice. If you do, there will be trouble."

Here, he opened his eyes and stared at the boy, "Can you do this?"

The boy's response was a hesitant nod and PuZhi smiled. To show hesitance in this regard was better than an immediate response.

With this, he began to pass a set of Fu phrases to Shirou.

The passage was not very long, only about a thousand in total. They its phrases were however difficult to comprehend and rather steeped in meaning. Shirou, completely enraptured by the monk's lesson absorbed the information he was fed like a sponge. Within the span of an hour, he had already committed the first lesson to heart.

PuZhi gave a sigh of relief and looked extremely tired. A compassionate tint made its way into his eyes as he continued to look at his new pupil.

"You know, this old monk has never taken a disciple before today. And now, at the edge of death, I welcome my very first to my family." The monk said wistfully.

At this, he let a rather loud laugh escape.

"Say, if you are to be my disciple, you should know my name." He started to sit up straight again. "I am known as PuZhi, a TianYin monk. Uh… child, do you know what TianYin Temple is?"

I shook my head.

PuZhi laughed, "Even though the soul is old, the body is but a child."

Then, he remembered something. Finding the remains of his ruined cassock, he then fished out a deep purple orb, looked at it a few more times, and then gave it to his new disciple.

"Take this bead and hide it. Let no outsider see it. Once you get settled down into a new home, find a cliff and throw it away." A frown managed to make its way onto PuZhi's face. "Also, the name I just revealed to you. You must not talk to anyone about it."

Shirou took the bead and replied, "Understood."

"You and I… We share a fated bond. Perhaps in the next life we will meet at the end." The monk muttered to himself.

To Shirou he said, "I sincerely hope that you can do what I was unable to, my first and only disciple…"

PuZhi placed two fingers on the boy's forehead and sent him to the realm of unconsciousness.

* * *

In the morning, following the blood thirsty storm, the rain had finally stopped.

The rain drops on the tree were crystal clear, slipping quietly from the edge of the leaves; dropping down, they made a beautiful arc in the air and landed right upon Shirou's sleeping face.

The icy coldness woke Shirou up, he opened his eyes and unconsciously cried out, "Master". Yet, there was no one nearby who could be his master, PuZhi. There was only his best friend, JingYu asleep beside him.

The previous night had seemed like a dream.

But, judging from the completely devastated Grasstemple in the distance and his sleeping friend, he knew that the events were real.

Shirou started thinking for a moment about where his master may have gone but quickly shook his head and went to JingYu's side and shove him hard. JingYu muttered a few words and slowly woke up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and, before he could even say a single word, felt a chill hit and couldn't help but sneeze.

His eyes opened and he seemed surprised to find himself and Shirou wet, resting underneath a pine tree. He couldn't help but be stunned and question to himself, "Didn't I sleep at home last night? How did I get here?"

It was then that JingYu noticed Shirou's new appearance.

"XiaoFan?" JingYu began, "Is that you?"

"Hmm? What question is that? Of course, I am me!"

"It's just that XiaoFan looked very different from yesterday."

Puzzled, the two boys found a puddle of water from the storm yesterday. The water was clean enough that it could reflect one's appearance back.

Shirou peered into the puddle. Gone were the facial features of XiaoFan. Yet for some reason, the new features he was granted in exchange didn't feel foreign, rather even more natural than his old ones had been.

"Isn't it odd?" JingYu asked.

"Of course, it is. I don't know how, though, it's not very relevant."

A moment of silence was shared between the two boys.

"Come, I am very cold. Let's go back quickly." Shirou said, breaking the silence.

JingYu had all sorts of questions still plaguing his mind, but, as his friend had said, it was quite cold out. Immediately he got up and ran back to the village gates with Shirou.

Upon arriving at the village area, the two boys find that things were not quite right. Usually by this time of day, the villagers should all be up and going about their daily routines. Today, however, was extremely quiet, one couldn't hear the cries of children or adults shouting. The morning breeze carried a faint bloody smell in the air.

The two looked at each other, seeing surprise in each other's eyes and quickened their pace back towards the village.

It didn't take long for the two to arrive at the village entrance and take in the grisly sight. The ground of the village was covered in blood, the very earth itself dyed a horrid shade of red and black. Yet, the blood had to come from somewhere.

Atop the saturated ground more than forty families of Grasstemple village, over two hundred people, old and young, men and women, were strewn about the ground. Their bodies stiffened into corpses and slightly bloated from the downpour from yesterday. Rivers of blood flowed from the cadavers, attracting flies with the feculent smell of decay and blood.

Shirou and JingYu, surprised to see such a horrible sight, out of shock, screamed and fainted.

* * *

After an unknown span of time, Shirou awoke and suddenly sat up panting, his hands trembling slightly. After he had fainted, he was haunted with faces of evil, bloody bones of the dead, nightmares from the horrible scene that he had witnessed.

He eventually calmed down and took in his new surroundings. It was a small room with two small windows. The furnishings were simple and clean, only a few pine tables and chairs, a kettle and some cups.

Half of the room was taken up by four beds. Aside from the one that he had woke up in, the bed next to him was slightly messy as if someone had just been sleeping. The other two were neat with quilts meticulously stacked atop.

Above each of the four beds, on the walls, hung a banner that read in large print, 'Dao!'

The room was a room for Dao disciples.

Shirou sat for a while. Suddenly, his heart couldn't but help entertain some hope. Perhaps the entirety of what he had witnessed was a nightmare? Perhaps he had been sleeping the entire time? Perhaps outside of this room, his mother was waiting to scold him for sleeping so late?

He slowly got out of bed, put on shoes, and step by step went over to the door.

He opened the door and the bright light from outdoor suddenly flood in and caused his eyes to narrow. The sun shined on his body giving a touch of warmth.

Yet, his heart had turned into ice.

Outside the door there was a small courtyard with collection of trees - pine and cypress - brush and flowers. There was a corridor leading to the outside of the courtyard. A few steps attaching both the courtyard and corridor were a few feet away from the door.

At the corner of the steps, sat a lonely child with his hand holding his cheek, still as a statue.

Perhaps the door opening disturbed him. The child hesitated, but then slowly turned.

JingYu.

It wasn't nightmare, it had all been real.

There were too many things that Shirou wanted to ask, but he couldn't form the words properly.

JingYu could only give a small wry smile.

The two children, just like that, silently stared each other in the eye.

* * *

Shirou had sat down on the steps on the other side of the courtyard, head down, staring at the stones that made up the courtyard's trail.

The silence in the small courtyard was deafening.

After a long time, JingYu said slowly, "I woke up earlier than you, there were several people in the room. I asked them where we were; Mount QingYun, Peak of the Widow.

"Mount QingYun," whispered Shirou.

"Listen, they said that a few QingYun disciples were passing by and saw the village, the village…" JingYu's voice couldn't help but choke up

He firmly rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "They… they said they found us in the village an brought us to the mountains."

Shirou's mouth moved a little, but he still kept his head down and asked, "What are we going to do, JingYu?"

His friend could only shake his head sadly and said, "I don't know."

Shirou still wanted to talk, unwilling to go back to the silence so quickly. However, an unfamiliar voice suddenly intervened from behind

"Ah, you both have woken up?"

They both looked back at the same time and saw a young Taoist standing there dressed in blue robes – a quite handsome individual.

He trotted over and said, "Master would like to see you, he has some questions for you. Come with me."

Shirou and JingYu looked at each other and stood up.

"Yes, big brother, please lead us." Said JingYu.

The young Taoist looked at him and nodded his head and said, "Come with me."

Following the Taoist, the left the courtyard. There was a much longer corridor in front of them now. Every twenty feet there laid a red pillar and between each set of pillars was an archway. Following along the corridor, the found almost identical courtyard structures where he QingYun disciples would live.

The corridor was long and thus it took a while to get to the end. When they reach it, massive white walls and two large wooden doors made from thick slabs of wood came into sight.

The young Taoist didn't say anything, it was probably a daily sight for him unlike the two children.

And when the doors opened, an almost legendary wonderland greeted them.

At the center was a very large square. The ground was all paved with shining white marble that reflected the warm rays of the sun. In the distance, there were puffy white clouds that seemed to coat the area like a veil, some of which were actually passing underfoot. In the center of the square stood a giant incense burner every couple of hundred of feet. There were three rows and three columns. The smoke from the burning incense was clear and didn't scatter in the air.

The Taoist seemed to understand the minds of the two children and allowed them to gaze for a moment before waking them from their revelry.

"This is one of QingYun's Six Treasures, the 'Cloud Sea'" The Taoist explained, "Come this way, there are better things up ahead."

Shirou couldn't help but inquire, "What?"

The young priest smiled and pointed, "Rainbow Bridge."

The two children looked over, and, in the distance at the end of square, behind hazy mist and clouds, they saw something shiny. They sped up their pace and traveled forward.

They began to hear the sound of running water followed by a few strange sounds reminiscent of thunder.

As the grew closer and closer, the veil of clouds obscuring their view, gently lifted and revealed the structure clearly.

A stone bridge was placed at the end of the central square. The bridge kept ascending like a dragon in the sky. The trickling of water along the side made the bridge shine with the colors of the rainbow under the sunlight.

Both Shirou and JingYu were staring.

"Be careful," their guide warned, "If you accidently fall down, you'll end up in a bottomless abyss, there won't even be a body to bury."

His words spooked both children, but they calmed themselves and walked carefully across the bridge, following the footsteps of the Taoist.

The Rainbow Bridge was extremely long and high. As the three of them continued to walk along it, they felt the clouds begin to sink underfoot. As they went higher and higher, the sound of rumbling thunder grew louder.

After walking for a while, the clouds gradually become thinner. They eventually moved out of the clouds completely and saw a blue sky stretching infinitely wide, the clouds themselves fully under their feet.

It is atop this peak, the higher peak of the Peak of the Widow, QingYun's main hall, Crystal Hall, is located.

The three got off the Rainbow Bridge. There was a pool of green pond water, clear as a mirror that reflected the shadows of the nearby mountains.

They walked towards the stone steps to the hall and were about to walk towards the door. Suddenly, a roar arose from deep within the pond, the sound of thunder rumbled in each of the boy's ears. They had found the source of the noise.

Their guide had taken precautions for this, but there was no way for the two children to escape it. Their bodies were splashed with pond water.

But they were too busy starting at the giant in front of them to care about their own situation. It was about five yards high, with the head of a dragon and the body of a lion, covered in scale. Its giant eyes and large mouth housing two sharp fangs shining in the sun would be frightening to anyone.

The monster shook itself and another spray reached the boys. Then the giants head stretched over as if it had found something.

The boys, now with the monsters head directly in front of them noticed how much larger it was compared to them. With the sunlight, the sharp teeth were clearly visible protruding from its mouth. They couldn't help but be frightened and hold each other tightly for support while their hearts hammered wildly.

At this time, the Taoist placed a single hand in front of his chest and respectfully said, "Mister Spirit, Master specifically summoned them."

The monster glared down at him and snapped his fangs. His big eyes rolled as he pondered the situation. Coming to a conclusion, he ignored the three and walked to the side and laid down on the dry ground beside the pool. Letting out a massive yawn, it placed down its head lazily on its front paws and fell asleep under the sun.

The young Taoist motioned for the two shocked children to continue walking and explained, "Mister Spirit in an ancient animal tamed by our faction leader Master QinYe a thousand years ago, called the Water Kirin. In that year Master QinYe expanded QingYun and slew evil, Water Kirin also helped us a lot. Now he is the mountain's protector and people call him Mister Spirit.

Finished speaking the Taoist gave a bow to the Water Kirin. Both Shirou and JingYu followed his example and respectfully bowed. The Water Kirin itself didn't notice; it let a loud snoring sound from his nose.

After completing their salute, the tree of them moved on towards Crystal Hall. Arriving in front of the might hall, the doors swing wide open and revealed a well-lit interior housing statues of previous QingYun saints and masters.

In front of these statues, dozens of people stand in the hall of all of who were QingYun. Following the statues were seven large ebony chairs, three on each side with the center chair sitting back above all. Each represented one of the QingYun factions, however, only six out of the seven leaders were sitting there.

The last chair at front right, was empty.

* * *

A/N: So after reading Zhu Xian, I was inspired to attempt at writing something myself.

I found a lot of similarities between Shirou and XiaoFan and the world of Zhu Xian all together.

\- XiaoFan starts as a hopeless lost cause, but through some lucky breaks he is able to become one of the most important mystical figures

\- XiaoFan has Anan and Bilu fighting over him like Shirou has his complicated romance

\- Espers fit pretty well with Noble Phantasms or mystic codes

\- XiaoFan is really good at cooking

Aside from these and other similarities, the book always entertains morality. If Shirou wants to be a quote - "Hero of Justice" - then he must understand what justice is. I hope I made it clear that currently his sense of justice is rather juvenile and he views everything as black and white.

At the very beginning, Xiao Fan is not very at all like the Shirou we know from Fate. I hope I explained it well why this is the case, but as we enter the next chapter, he will develop more traits from Fate.

If Shirou does view himself as an ally of justice, then what is justice? If he views himself as a tool, then is he a tool for evil or good? These are the concepts I hope to explore and it will most likely begin at least a little bit in the next chapter. Unfortunately, the only thing that really differs here from the book aside from Shirou is that Xiao Fan got bitten by the centipede.

Next chapter he will study three schools of magic, Dao, Fu and magecraft (wow that's awkward to write after the other two)

Basically that how this started. Please leave some feedback if you made it this far!


	2. QingYun - 1

A/N: This chapter is the aftermath of the events that happened at Grasstemple. Mostly politics and character introductions.

This chapter has ALOT of names and titles in it, so i thought that it would be prudent to have a thing up here as a basics in case if a reader doesn't know anything about them.

For titles: Chinese spiritual factions can be thought of as families, thus, fellow disciples are brothers or sisters and the master is the father.

These should be all the titles that show up in this chapter and the some of the ones immediately afterwards

_Shifu - _Master (Academic Father)

_Shiniang - _Master's Wife

_Shidi _\- Younger brother disciple (Note: Younger not in age, but in academic year)

_Shimei - _Younger sister disciple

_Shixiong -_ Older brother disciple

_Shijie -_ Older sister disciple

_Shixiongdi_ \- Brother disciples (Note: mostly used by a third party when they don't know the hierarchy)

_Shijiemei_ \- Sister disciples (Note: above)

* * *

QingYun - 1

The great QingYun Crystal Hall was in rapt assembly.

Currently, those gathered within the hall were in discussion. Waiting for the speaker to finish, Shirou, JingYu and their guide stopped before they reached the ebony chairs. When the conversation died down, those gathered in the back hall turned their attention towards the three standing at the its entrance.

The young Taoist who led the children respectfully announced, "Master, and honored teacher, this disciple ChangJian, in accordance to your order, has brought forth the two…"

Suddenly, ChangJian was cut off from his statement by the mournful sounds of shouting that echoed through the great hall.

"Ghost… ghost… Ghosts!"

ChangJian was surprised by the interruption himself, but he notices that Shirou and JingYu are even more-so than him. Although the sound is broken, ugly and void of life, its timbre was extremely familiar to the two children.

"Uncle Wang… is that you?" Shirou said in a whisper. Only JingYu was able to hear him above the frenzied shouts.

The three of them were admitted inside. The gathered assembly looked on in pity and sadness towards the corner of the hall. Behind the crowd of people, a middle-aged man dressed in woodcutter's clothing was curled in a fetal position. Both hands were clenched tight to cover his head, his body shaking and rocking back and forth. The cries of madness continue to flow from his obscured mouth.

Shirou and JingYu, who had just entered, immediately recognized the individual huddled and writhing in the corner as a woodcutter from Grasstemple Village. He was from the Wang family, their second-born. A kind-hearted individual always with a smile on his face. He was gentle with the children and treated them very well, bringing them fruits from the mountainside for them to share.

The gathered members of QingYun could only offer token apologies to the two boys with their solemn gazes. Although Shirou was rather fond of Uncle Wang, his mind was unable to come up with any way to help the broken man. JingYu also stood beside him, his face poised like stone, yet, if one were to look at his eyes, they were glassy and sad.

Uncle Wang seemed to notice the silence that took over the great hall. His chanting ceased as his tense body unfurled slightly and he looked towards the two boys at the front of the hall. Tension filled the air.

The Crystal Hall was silent, even some of the people previously sitting couldn't help but stand to attention. All of hall turned their eyes towards Shirou and JingYu, who grew nervous at the sudden attention drawn to them.

The crazed man's eyes glinted crimson, filled with fear and madness. He stared at Shirou and JingYu but remained silent the entire time. His brow furrowed into a frown as if he was struggling to remember something important.

At this time, a QingYun disciple couldn't help but step forwards, yet, as he was about to speak, he was quietly pulled back and silenced by the person beside him.

Shirou watched Uncle Wang during the silence. His eyes were lifeless, as if he was a husk with no soul. Again, he couldn't help but mutter under his breath about his concerns, so silently, that even in the great hall none except himself could hear him.

Unexpectedly, it seemed that Uncle Wang was able to hear Shirou's muttering. His body began to tremble and quake, fear beginning to return to his once friendly features again. He rolled towards the other corner of the hall and curled up this time facing the wall. His hands found their previous position over his head and he began to tremble, beginning his mad chant anew.

Suddenly, the hall was filled with sighs, the tension had been broken when the chant had returned. The members of assembly were disappointed, they're excitement had been quelled. Those that had stood up from their seats had returned to sitting.

Shirou looked over to his friend and saw his eyes glisten with tears. Even though he had loved Uncle Wang and was closer to him than any of the other children, his was unable to shed any tears for the man. He could only feel a deep sadness and pity that most other men would feel for a broken soul.

"He has gone insane…" Came from the mouth of JingYu.

Shirou didn't say anything in response.

JingYu was one year older than him, and despite his outwards appearance, was very meticulous in his thoughts. He shared the same inquisitive mindset that Shirou possessed. The two of them had already came to their own similar conclusions on the matter. As such, there was nothing to debate.

Instead the two turned their attention to the people assembled in the hall.

Most of the congregation had a weapon with them, the majority being swords. They were dressed in blue robes like ChangJian, who had led them to the hall. Those off to the side sat formally on their legs, their back rigid and straight. Those who sat on the ebony chairs in the center of the hall appeared to be above the others, their robes far more intricate than those kneeling on the floor.

None were as impressive as the one who sat in the center chair. He was dressed in a simple long green robe; the head of the QingYun sect, Headmaster Dao XuanZhen.

JingYu pulled Shirou towards the six people sitting in the chairs. He kneeled in front of the center seat and bowed his head to the floor in honor of the faction head. Shirou soon followed his example, seeing his friend's head bow in subservience and remembering the lessons of common etiquette imparted by his late mother.

XuanZhen looked at the two boys carefully, his eyes sharp and discerning but ultimately let out a sigh. "Poor children, there is no need to bow, you can stand up."

Yet, both Shirou and JingYu had not arisen from their positions. The children had only lifted their eyes from the floor to peer at these celestial people.

"Masters, we are young and ignorant. Our lives were changed in the course of a single night; we do not know what to do. You elders are as wise as you are strong, know the past and future. Please, you must help us." Was the sad but eloquent reply from JingYu.

Everyone who was listening to the speech couldn't help but smile. Their eyes falling to the children but quickly latching onto JingYu.

JingYu had just survived a great tragedy and was also under the gaze of Master Dao XuanZhen, a renowned name heard across the land. Yet, despite these conditions, his words had not faltered and his voice was clear and resolute. He was outwardly calm despite the turmoil he must have felt inside his mind. His speaking was ordered, well-mannered and magnitudes above the level of other children.

Comparatively, Shirou had yet to speak. Although silence was better than blubbering like a fool, his silence was still less impressive than JingYu's clear voice. It implied a timid nature, one that a boy of his age should not possess.

The Grasstemple Village tragedy was something that the QingYun had not dealt with for thousands of years. In addition, it had occurred right under the nose of the faction in the areas under their watch. Naturally, the entire QingYun sect was shocked, but none more so than XuanZhen.

He was equally angered by the tragedy, however, and immediately called a meeting between the seven houses under the QingYun banner. With the sole exception of the head of 'Bamboo Height', Master ShuiYue, who was currently absent, the other six heads were all gathered within the Crystal Hall.

The seven house-heads represented the strongest individuals in QingYun. The leaders of the houses were all well trained and thus cultivated in their own rights. To be one of the strongest people in QingYun was to be one of the strongest and wisest people in the world. As such, when they heard JingYu's solemn response, there had all saw the potential within the boy, a fine gem that they could polish.

XuanZhen smiled and replied, "To say that I know the future or past is ludicrous. However, you lived near Mount QingYun and, thus, we cannot ignore this. I would like to ask you a few questions about the subject; I hope that can answer."

JingYu nodded: "Yes, I shall answer you with all the knowledge I possess. Master, please ask."

XuanZhen nodded his head and asked, "How did you escape this tragedy unscathed?"

JingYu took a moment to gather his thoughts, the question having stunned him for a moment. He replied, "In response to Master's question: I remember last night I was at home in bed sleeping. However, when I woke up this morning, I found that I had slept under a pine tree with XiaoFan next to me. I have no idea what happened; XiaoFan woke me up. We returned to the village, and then we saw that… that… that scene and fainted."

XuanZhen's eyebrows frowned. Suddenly the attention of the house-heads was drawn to the silent boy whose eyes peered intently at them but had yet to speak.

The head of QingYun then asked him, "You woke him up, have you anything to say then?"

Shirou of course remembered the titanic clash between the mysterious man and his late master PuZhi. As his mind recalled the struggle, it had also brought forth PuZhi's last words to him, about how he should not tell anyone of him or what had happened that day.

Thus, after sorting his thoughts, Shirou answered XuanZhen with a half-truth, "I do not know how I got there. When I woke up, I only saw JingYu next to me and so I woke him up."

His voice was softer than JingYu's had been, but still clear.

Yet, his reply only served to confuse XuanZhen and the other heads. If someone had come to the rescue, why had they only saved two children? If there no such person, then there was no logical answer for their survival!"

The Masters thought about the situation for a moment. XuanZhen then addressed both of the boys. "So, this means that you know nothing of what happened last night."

"Yes," Both children responded simultaneously.

XuanZhen could only sigh and then cried out, " Song DaRen."

"I am here, Master." A tall and burly QingYun disciple replied. He was now standing behind a seated short, plump man. DaRen seemed to be the fat man's disciple.

"You are the one to first discover the Grasstemple Village's massacre. What happened that day; repeat it!" Commanded Xuan Zhen.

DaRen only nodded, "Of course. This morning, this disciple and few _shixiongdi_ returned from attending to a selection of affairs delegated to us and we had been flying back.

"When passing over Grasstemple Village, we had looked down at the ground inadvertently and discovered more than two hundred corpses piled up together in the village - a miserable sight.

"I and the others quickly went to examine the site, but we had only found two children still breathing among the dead. Noticing that they were unconscious, we allowed a _shidi_ to bring them back first."

DaRen's hand pointed towards Uncle Wang who was still curled in the corner chanting.

"Later in the village latrine, we had found this person. But his eyes were dead, entranced. No matter how we approached him or phrased our questions, we never got a response. He simply kept repeating, 'ghost, ghost, ghost.'"

His explanation having concluded, he had started to retreat behind his master once more.

Before he was able to return fully, Shirou had asked softly, "Big Brother, were you able to count the dead?"

DaRen's eyes shined with pity and responded, "I found a _shidi_ who frequently traded firewood with your village. He was very familiar with the people living there. Afterwards, he set to identifying and we had then finished tallying: Grasstemple Village, all forty-two families, a total of two hundred and forty-seven people, aside from you three, are all dead."

Even though JingYu and Shirou's hearts had already known that this was the case, to hear it from DaRen's mouth pained them more than anything else. It took all their strength to not black out and faint again from the declaration.

XuanZhen, seeing the tension in the two boys, sighed softly. His swung his left hand and a red bead flew out from under his sleeve. It flew its course from the faction head towards the front of both Shirou and JingYu and rolled across their foreheads.

Suddenly, cool air flooded their bodies and their minds. Originally, they had been panicked and taut but seemed to have relaxed, their coiled muscles loosened. From this sudden relief, they felt utterly physically and mentally exhausted and couldn't help but fall asleep.

XuanZhen waved his hands. The disciples who had been kneeling or standing behind their masters all performed a bow and exited from the hall.

Thus, only the six-attending house-heads were left within the Crystal Hall.

* * *

When the disciples had finished filtering out, the short, plump man said, "_Shixiong_, you used your Calming Beads to temporarily settle them, but, when they wake up, what are you going to do?"

XuanZhen thought to himself for a moment and turned towards the Taoist sitting to his left and asked, "CangSong _shidi_, what do you think we should do?"

Master CangSong was a tall, solemn man and the head of QingYun's house "Dragon Peak". In the faction, aside from XuanZhen's main house 'Widow's Peak', his house had the most clout and thus was the strongest of all the branches.

He was a serious man. In addition to managing his own disciples under his house, he was also in charge of punishments in QingYun. The disciples all respect their Headmaster XuanZhen, but they also all feared CangSong.

Said person's eyebrows wrinkled, debating the issue internally. After a while, he responded, "There are many strange things about this manner. I am afraid that we cannot solve this mystery in a short time…

"That being said, the Grasstemple Villagers had lived near us and were very kind to us. We cannot just ignore them; I think we should adopt them as disciples."

XuanZhen nodded his head and said, "Yes, that is precisely what I thought. The two children will be lonely out there and so we have to take care of them. I have not adopted any disciples for years. As such I must ask, which _shidi_ can help me adopt them?"

At that moment, the short plump man, head of QingYun's house "Bamboo Peak", Tian BuYi said, "_Shixiong_, from what I think, it would be wise to not let the two of them remain under the same house. If they stay together and see each other constantly, they will be reminded of their past and thus this tragedy. Their sadness would never end; It would not be good for their future!"

XuanZhen considered his words for a moment and said, "Tian _shidi_ is correct. They are still young and have survived such a tragedy. They are still struggling to come to terms with the situation, thus, it is our duty to help resolve the anger in their hearts.

"So, we really should not allow them to live together in the same place. That means we will need two _shidi_ to adopt them." XuanZhen finished and turned to look towards the other heads.

CangSong, Tian BuYi and rest of the assembled five branch-heads had all turned their attention towards JingYu at the same time following his speech. While Shirou was also a very attractive candidate, JingYu was the superior disciple in the eyes of the old masters.

In spiritual cultivation, one's potential was of considerable importance. Being gifted is better than practicing the same methods for hundreds of years. When QingYun had almost fell a thousand years ago, they had only needed to rely on Master QinYe who, although very young, had a boundless spiritual potential and understood the founding manifestos of the faction with ease.

His actions had brought him to such a lofty reputation. He had been given only his potential and the very small amount of territory that QingYun had still possessed. Using the two, he had managed to reclaim all of the faction's ancestral territory. His skill was far greater than any of his ancestors'.

Yet, potential is not the only important quality in cultivation; if that were the case then Shirou would be far more temping for the house-heads than JingYu. One's mental fortitude was critical to pursuing cultivation. As such, when the heads had head JingYu's clear voice ring through the hall, they were notably impressed by the boy's mental strength to speak so eloquently in spite of his turmoil.

Comparatively, although Shirou possessed an even greater potential than JingYu, he appeared to have a timid nature and as such was much less desirable than JingYu. Such a timid nature would weaken his cultivation, his self-confidence would directly impact the rate at which he progressed.

Thus, the assembled Masters had gravitated towards JingYu.

After a moment of silence, Tian BuYi coughed and said, "_Shixiong_, you know that my house Bamboo Peak has always had a small number of disciples, I would gladly help you adopt one."

As he pointed to JingYu's sleeping body, another Master rose.

The head of "Sunrise Peak" Shang ZhengLiang stood up in front of Tian BuYi. He said to the faction head, "_Shixiong_, today when I see this child, I feel as if there is a bond between us, it must be destiny! (1) How about letting him study under my house?"

The houses were always kind and gentle to each other on the surface, but on the inside were always competing with each other to increase their own reputation. The reputation of the disciples directly impacts the reputation of the house head. Seeing JingYu's rather prodigious nature, there is a chance that he might be the next Master QinYe. Even if it was for someone below JingYu's level, the masters would still quarrel and not let the other houses freely take them.

The sole exception was Headmaster XuanZhen. Due to his position and strength, none of the branch house heads were willing to compete against him. However, he had already stated that he would not be adopting any of the children today, thus, who would pass up such a golden opportunity?

Right after the head of Sunrise Peak had finished, the head of "Sunset Peak", master TianYun said, "Shang _shixiong_, your house has more than two hundred disciples. If you share such a bond with all of them, don't you think you have far too many lovers?"

Shang ZhengLiang blushed and was about to reply, but Tian BuYi interrupted: "TianYun _shixiong_ is correct. Speaking of the number of disciples, all of you have more than a hundred, my Bamboo Peak houses only seven, how about…"

CangSong interrupted and said, "Tian _shidi_, these two children live such miserable lives. We need to give them the best care to heal their hearts rather than focusing on the number of people we have."

He then turned towards Headmaster XuanZhen, "_Shixiong_, this child has excellent potential both spiritually and mentally. Please, allow him to adopted under my house, I will teach him how to comfort the souls of Grasstemple Village."

'Not good,' thought the minds of each of all the other house-heads with the exception of the head of "Wind Peak", who was busy snoring in his seat. As CangSong finished, he turned towards the rest of them, his eyes smug

XuanZhen if he cared for their competition didn't show it. He simply pondered the merits of granting CangSong another disciple. He already knew which boy the two were talking about.

After a long silence, XuanZhen finally replied, "CangSong _shidi_ is right. I will allow him to be adopted under your house."

CangSong's face broke out into a smile: "Thank you, _shixiong_."

To all of the other heads, those that had known CangSong for a long time knew that he didn't usually smile. Today, with a new disciple as prodigious as JingYu, his heart had so reservations and thus he was extremely satisfied. Now that XuanZhen had allowed it, none of the other heads could dispute the matter. With CangSong's own house being as powerful as it was, they couldn't dispute and were forced to swallow their resentments.

XuanZhen paused and then began: "Well, the other one…"

While not as prodigious as JingYu, Shirou still possessed an incredible spiritual potential. It was simply his nature that put his status behind his friend's. Thus, each of the other heads began to eye each other and prepare their wits.

CangSong's face had returned to a stony exterior, but his eyes were still smiling.

Yet, before any of the houses could lay their claim on the second prize to be won that day, XuanZhen raised his hand to stop their quarrel before it could begin.

"Tian _shidi._" The main house-head smiled.

Tian BuYi's heart jumped in excitement. The other Masters around them could only glare at the pudgy man with jealousy.

"Grasstemple Village's massacre was your disciple, DaRen's discovery. It seems that this child and your Bamboo Peak already possess a strong bond. I'm afraid that the child's timid nature will hinder him if he were to join a house with more people. Since your Bamboo Peak is only home to seven disciples including yourself, I will let him be adopted under your house."

Tian BuYi could only smile and nod: "Thank you, I understand, _shixiong._"

Even though he would have much rather gotten JingYu, he was still happy that he was able to induct one of the two.

Of all the assembled masters, only CangSong and Tian BuYi were happy and satisfied with the outcome. Of course, Master Ceng ShuChang of Wind Peak was still fast asleep in his seat, but, all the other masters who had bid for one of the two children could only stifle their complains. The Headmaster had personally assigned Shirou to Bamboo Peak, to complain now would only display their impudence.

XuanZhen gave the masters a once a once over and coughed towards the head of Sunset Peak. Ceng ShuChang understood the intent and quickly woke up the sleeping house head next to himself.

Once he was lucid, XuanZhen concluded the meeting: "Well, this is the end of this business. _Shidi_, you must all watch your backs when investigating the murder, understood?"

CangSong and the others all stood up and said, "Yes."

XuanZhen nodded and coughed several times, but he didn't stay in the hall for long. He quickly retreated towards the back hall. When his footsteps were no longer audible, the assembled five branch-heads, with the exception of CangSong and Tian BuYi, left the great hall with impatience.

The Bamboo Peak disciple DaRen had been waiting outside of the Crystal Hall since he was dismissed. Finally, when he saw that the masters had come out, he ran towards them. He saw his own Master, Tian BuYi, carrying Shirou and could not help but be surprised.

"Master! What happened?" asked DaRen.

As Tian BuYi saw him, his heart once again burst out with happiness but his face remained stoic. He said, "Headmaster Dao XuanZhen has granted us a new _shidi_."

DaRen quickly took Shirou, who was still sleeping, from his master. He had never seen his master so happy before, he was usually quite stern and serious. He was able to see the jealous eyes from the other masters, who had exited the hall before Tian BuYi.

"Come on, what are you staring at?" Tian BuYi shouted towards his stunned disciple.

His right hand drew a magical seal in mid-air. When he finished, there was a crimson flash and a large red sword with a red edge leapt to his hand. Then, he threw the sword before leaping to stand on it, balancing himself atop the blade with his own spiritual energy. Using the same energy, he then willed the steel to pierce forwards, and darted off into the distance.

DaRen had yet to come out of his revelry completely, but he was still happy that there would be a new face among those at Bamboo Peak.

He looked at Shirou, who was in his arms, and said, "Xiao Shidi, I don't even know your name yet."

Shirou was still fast asleep, unaware of his own destiny, unaware at how his life had already been changed.

* * *

As Shirou dreamed, he was haunted by that horrible vision that day. Corpses leaking rivers of blood piled atop one another, the smell of decay and the buzzing of flies assaulted his mental sense.

It was a scene from a nightmare and the boy was sufficiently frightened.

The sky was blood red and a thick black fog blotted the moon from view.

Yet, amidst this hell, there was a single friendly figure.

The Buddhist monk PuZhi battered and beaten, appeared in his visions. When his visage saw Shirou in the dream, his face curled into a smile despite his ruined body and began to walk towards him.

He wondered if he could ever be that happy. Even in a hellish landscape and facing such dire wounds. His mind remembered how happy his Fu master was when he had first woken up under that pine tree.

'Perhaps, I can one day smile like that."

* * *

Emiya Shirou awoke. He was momentarily startled when he woke up somewhere foreign, but all the things that had happened over the past few days rushed into his heart like the tide to the shore.

It felt like waking up from a nightmare!

"You've woken up; that's good." A voice issued from behind the door. A person then entered the room.

Shirou recognized that this figure was DaRen, the disciple that he had seen back in the Crystal Hall at the Peak of the Widow. He felt slightly more relaxed seeing a person he at the very least recognized.

"Brother Song!" Shirou cried.

Even though DaRen was a large man and very appeared imposing, he had a very soft heart. He couldn't help but feel sorrow and pity for his newest _shidi_. He made his way to the bed and ruffled Shirou's red hair.

"Xiao Shidi, please, don't be sad. From now one, we are one big family." DaRen said softly, comfortingly.

Not understanding, Shirou asked, "What family?"

DaRen smiled and told him that Tian BuYi had adopted him into his house as one of his disciples. Of course, the minor conflict between the QingYun elders that day at the Crystal Hall he will never learn of.

Shirou listened, feeling a bit lost. QingYun had always been the boy's dream. He had always admired them from far away. He was charmed by their stories and he had always been the first to greet the QingYun disciple who traded with the village. While learning the Fu passages from PuZhi was a step in his journey to become a hero, QingYun was one of his ambitions.

Yet, it had all come at such a terrible price.

He gritted his teeth, feeling that it was futile to think of the matter anymore. The villagers were dead and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Song _shixiong._" Shirou greeted his new brother disciple.

DaRen smiled and could only feel his heart swell with pride: "Yes, _shidi_. You have slept for a day and a night; you are probably hungry, right?"

Shirou was about to refuse, he did not think that he was, but, after his _shixiong_ asked him, his stomach growled fiercely.

DaRen simply laughed at the rosy hue that took hold on his _shidi's_ cheeks: "Come, _shidi_! We will get something to eat first, and then, you can learn a bit about our house. Afterwards, you can go see _shifu _and _shiniang, _and the other _shixiongs_."

Shirou nodded his head and then got out of the bed. He looked around the room that he had slept in and noticed it was quite similar to the one that JingYu and he had shared back at the Peak of the Widow. The room however did seem larger than what was given to the disciples back at the Peak of Widow and there was only one bed in the room as opposed to four.

DaRen saw him taking in the room and walked with him as he explained: "Bamboo Peak is different from the other houses in QingYun. We have very few people, the total number only of people only reaching ten, including you, so there is more room for each of us."

They walked towards the doorway; he found a small courtyard similar to the one back at the Peak of the Widow outside. DaRen led him through a hallway as they continued towards the kitchen. They came across similar courtyards but they were in no way as numerous as the ones in the main house. There were only a dozen rooms to inhabit in this house, far less than the Peak of the Widow.

Shirou followed DaRen towards the kitchen. During the walk, he had learned that Bamboo Peak has stood as a house since Master QinYe and had now reached Tian BuYi's hand as the sixth head. It had always functioned the same way in the past, with not many people. There has never been a need to expand the house grounds.

As for the elders of the house, with exception of Master Tian BuYi, only his wife SuRu remains. Together, they had a daughter, Tian LingEr, who was thirteen years old, two years and then some older than Shirou. Thus, Shirou was both the youngest disciple both in terms of study and age.

Among all of the disciples of Tian BuYi and Bamboo Peak, DaRen is the eldest _shixiong_, following him were Wu DaYi, Zheng DaLi, He DaZhi, Lu DaXin and Du DaShu.

Poor Shirou was trying his best to remember all of the new names: "So, DaYi _shixiong_, DaLi _shixiong_, DaZhi _shixiong_, DaXin _shixiong_, DaShu _shixiong_…"

DaRen laughed: "Actually, its Du BiShu _shixiong_."

Shirou was puzzled and asked, "Why is the sixth _shixiong_ different?"

DaRen replied: "You are right. Originally, he was called DaShu, but say it again and listen to it."

Shirou murmured: "Du DaShu, Du DaShu, Uncle Du…(2)"

Understanding entered his eyes and he began to laugh.

DaRen joined the laughter: "Master does not really care about it. However, _shiniang_ gets very annoyed by it, so after a few times, she lectured about how Du _shidi_ didn't respect master and that he needed to be taught some lessons.

"Poor Du _shidi_ was scared half to death during the ordeal and he quickly asked master and _shiniang_ to provide a new name for him. _Shiniang_ gave him the name 'Du BiShu.' Try saying it a few times."

Once again, Shirou lightly muttered: "Du BiShu, Du BiShu, gambling must lose…(3)"

The boy broke into laughter once again; it was far more vigorous than the last time.

DaRen had originally planned on making him laugh. When he had carried Shirou back towards Bamboo Peak, he had watched how his _shidi's_ face would scrunch up as he slept and how his skin began to sweat. He had hoped that some laughter would help the grief pass.

Now, seeing Shirou smile, DaRen was happy that his plan had worked.

"Sixth _shidi_ was really addicted to gambling before he arrived here for cultivation. Master brought him to Bamboo Peak by chance one day and so he doesn't gamble anymore. However, he still loves to put bets for funds, just not in front of _shiniang_."

Shirou smiled and the grief he woke up with was partially forgotten. His eldest _shixiong_ was very kind in his eyes and helped make the transition much easier.

"Ah, _shixiong_!" The boy said and captured DaRen's attention. "You call me Xiao _shidi_, but hardly anyone calls me by my given name anymore!"

"Then _shidi_, what should we call you?" DaRen replied good humor.

"Please, _shixiong_, call me Shirou!"

"Wet meat?"

"It means soft! Kind!(4)"

"Ha, _shidi_. I was only kidding.

Thus, Xiao _shidi_ had become Shirou _shidi_.

* * *

After eating in the kitchen, DaRen took Shirou to the main half of Bamboo Peak, the Hall of Quietude. All of the other residents of the house were at the Hall of Quietude at the moment. It was paved with red bricks, red tiles and stone pillars. A "Tai Chi" was carved onto the hall floor. Overall it was very simple and plain unlike Crystal Hall.

There are two people current seated in chairs. The first is Master Tian BuYi and the second was a quiet, graceful woman who looked to be about thirty years of age. Besides her, there was an adorable girl standing beside her with a pair of clear, bright eyes.

The other five disciples – all male – lined up. Standing or kneeling, tall or short, strong or thin, at that moment, they had all turned their attention to Shirou.

DaRen steeped up and respectfully greeted the hall: "Master, _shiniang_, this disciple has brought Shirou _shidi_ before you."

Tian BuYi only raised an eyebrow at the give name but ultimately paid it no heed. He waved his hand, dismissing DaRen's formal announcement. His face was like stone, but his eyes warm.

SuRu looked at Shirou: "DaRen, he had been sleeping for a day and night. I fear that he may be hungry; you should take him to eat something first."

Formal as ever, DaRen responds, "In response to _shiniang_, I had just come from the kitchen with Shirou _shidi_."

SuRu nodded and looked at Tian BuYi, her worries assuaged. Catching her gaze, Tian BuYi snorted, "Let us begin."

DaRen gestured Shirou forwards and took two steps backwards. The newest _shidi_ kneeled on the floor and began to bow deeply towards his new master, his head reaching the floor five times with graceful movements.

The girl besides SuRu couldn't help but laugh at the display. The woman herself had a smile on her face, "That is good boy, five times is enough."

Shirou rose from his position and faced Tian BuYi's stony face. In his eyes, Shirou was very well behaved, his movements were graceful and precise for someone without any cultivation. He seemed to be intelligent; the thought of teaching him in the future was a pleasant one.

"I have high expectations for you." Tian BuYi said and waved his hand in dismissal. "DaRen, you take care of him for now. Give him the rules of our house and the basic methods of Dao."

DaRen answered, "Yes" but still hesitated: "Master, surely you wish to impart this yourself?"

Tian BuYi said: "I did not say that I would neglect his teaching. I merely have some business to take care of today."

DaRen had one more concern: "Master… Shirou _shidi_ is still very little, the entry homework might be too much…"

Tian BuYi rolled his eyes and responded: "Was my own LingEr not the same age when she began? I have confidence that he will be able to handle the work."

He then stood up and walked towards the back hall without another word or looking back. All of the other disciples bowed together in respect as Tian BuYi disappeared.

The little girl that stood next to the chairs, LingEr, had already jumped in front of Shirou, causing the boy to widen his golden eyes in shock. She was staring at him closely and so intensely that the boy couldn't help back up slightly.

Shirou saw her, admittedly, very cute face in front of his eyes. Even though she was still very young, there was no doubt in his mind that she would become very beautiful. Her hair was silky black and her green eyes were bright and full of life. Her face was still very girlish and youthful, her delicate features already very pretty.

Back in Grasstemple Village, he had never seen a girl his age with such beauty. Yet, he kept all of these thoughts to himself, his cheeks betraying him slightly as they grew a tad bit warmer.

LingEr began to laugh – her voice was soft as well – and pointed at Shirou: "You see _shixiongs_? He blushes when he sees me."

True enough, there was a bit of pink dusting Shirou's cheek. The hall was filled with bursts of laughter, Shirou's face didn't respond to the embarrassment. He simply continued to look at the girl in front of him.

SuRu let out a sigh and rolled her eyes: "LingEr, don't tease _shidi_."

The girl made a face, but didn't listen to her mother's words. Standing up straight she proclaimed: "My name is LingEr, you can call me _shijie_."

"Ah, my name is Shirou. LingEr _shijie_, please take care of me." Shirou said formally. He performed a small bow towards the girl.

Seeing his docile nature and the sincerity, the girl's cheeks grew red with embarrassment. His formality was also endearing. She was still very happy that someone around her age had joined Bamboo Peak. She had always been the youngest by a wide margin, but now there was someone else that she could talk to.

"Good, Shirou _shidi_, you need to listen to _shijie_." LingEr said, pretending to be an elder.

"Yes." Shirou replied firmly, his face was one of rapt attention. It was adorable.

"Don't speak such nonsense." SuRu had enough and pulled her daughter aside with quite the fuss. LingEr had struggle for a moment but resorted to huffing and pouting, her fun ruined.

SuRu then turned towards DaRen: "Daren, Shirou _shidi_ is still very young, I am worried that his homework may be a little difficult so please, take good care of him."

DaRen said respectfully: "Of course."

The other five disciples stood together and laughed. They all looked at each other and then at DaRen, glad that they weren't the ones that Tian BuYi had tasked with Shirou.

However, a murderous atmosphere had taken over the Hall of Quietude that silenced the laughter coming from the other disciples. SuRu had made a strange movement, turning her neck as if she were straining herself and stretching muscles. Her temperament was far different than her graceful nature from moments before. A black miasma began to surround her frame.

The Bamboo Peak disciples had long since stopped laughing, their tongues silenced, frozen in place, and, sensing an approaching disaster, began to sweat in fear.

SuRu cleared her throat and said, "You…"

"_Shiniang!"_ DaRen shouted, his forehead also sweating.

The miasma seemed to thicken at the interruption. SuRu frowned and said, "What?"

The other disciples questioned their _shixiong _in their thoughts: 'Da_ Shixiong,_ what are you doing?'

DaRen knowing that he was on borrowed time, quickly said: "_Shiniang_, Shirou _shidi_ just started. This disciple must follow master's order to teach him the rules of our house and the daily homework. So, we must go now."

SuRu was quiet for a moment, then nodded and said, "You are right. Go."

"What?!" The other five disciples shouted.

DaRen laughed hollowly, meeting their eyes with a sheepish smile. He stepped forwards and picked up Shirou before he could even blink, not waiting for anyone to say anything or dismiss him.

"Shirou _shidi_, let this _shixiong_ find a place quiet place far from here first, then I will teach you the rules." He heard his _shidi_ scold him, calling him "Coward" and "Traitor"

Shirou heard these insults at the kind _shixiong_ and was puzzled. However, he had turned to SuRu and saw the miasma hanging off of her and gulped.

_'Shixiong _is very wise…' the boy noted and saw that LingEr had moved from her spot and was following them.

SuRu suddenly shouted, her voice as cold as ice and snow: "Shut up!"

The hall was silent.

SuRu began to rant: "All of you are useless. You all got scared when you found out that I wanted to test how far you have gotten in cultivation. Another seven years from now is QingYun's 'Seven Peak Tournament' held every sixty years.

"The last time you had both your master and I boiling with anger. If you do not try harder, we will look shameful in front of all the other houses! Come on, all five of you come together…"

DaRen ran faster and faster like a man possessed. He ran out of the hall and went straight to the back hill. Shirou was sprawled over his shoulder like a sack and he was able to see the brushes on both sides pass by at a high speed.

* * *

After running for a while, DaRen had managed to get to the slopes of a small hill. He finally stopped his sprint and placed Shirou down.

From behind, they could see that LingEr was flying towards the duo.

Shirou had never seen the miracle of flight before and his eyes had widened in surprise and admiration.

LingEr saw his expression and pride filled her chest. A small smile graced her young face as she glided to the mountainside.

"Shirou _shidi_, do you see that?" DaRen pointed towards the figure in the distance

"LingEr _shijie?_"

DaRen shook his head and pointed to the red silk floating beneath the girl.

"Shirou _shidi_, you are new here so you do not know. That red silk is the famous Esper, 'Phoenix Soul, crafted by our _shiniang_ when she was young. It is one of the most famous Espers in all of QingYun."

Shirou looked back towards the red silk with disbelief. However, he still had a question.

"_Shixiong_? What is an Esper?"

DaRen made a gagging noise as if he had swallowed something foul: "I had forgotten that you are still young and are missing some knowledge."

"_Shidi!_ You don't know what Espers are?"

LingEr had made her way to the two of them and descended from Phoenix Soul. The Esper, being a high-level mystical artifact, possessed a spirit and it had automatically rolled up and wrapped around her waist like a nice red silken belt.

"It seems that _shijie_ is not just powerful, but also very wise." Shirou praised. From the pride he heard in DaRen's voice, it must have been impressive to control Phoenix Soul like LingEr had.

"Hehe" LingEr giggled to herself in delight at the boy's praise.

"Shirou _shidi_." DaRen called and the boy went to go follow his _shixiong_ with LingEr not far behind.

The hillside that DaRen had taken him to was covered with bamboo true to the house's name. Some stalks were very thick and others very thin, but all of them flourished across the forest. Looking closely, the bamboo was different and rather strange, it had black joints.

DaRen, pointing to the forest and told Shirou, "_Shidi_, we of Bamboo Peak only have a single rule. For the first three years, new disciples need to cut down bamboo from here daily. You are still young and growing so just chopping one down daily for the first three months is fine. As for thickness, it does not matter."

When Shirou had heard DaRen and Tian BuYi talk about homework at the beginning, he had though it would be something spiritual. When he had heard SuRu asked DaRen to take care of him, he thought that it would be difficult. However, in the end he found out that it was very similar to his chores of chopping firewood

Shirou's mouth had a small grin: "Da _shixiong_, I have chopped wood before. No need to worry."

DaRen wanted to say something but stopped himself. A knowing smile came to his face along with LingEr's: "That's good to know. We will walk back slowly. I will let you remember the trail to get here so that you can come here alone in the future. One the way back, I'll tell you the rules of our house."

LingEr laughed: "Da _shixiong_, why did you run in such a hurry to say something so mundane? Are you really afraid of my mother that much?"

DaRen's face grew red but he didn't both to respond to her. Instead, he told Shirou: "Shirou _shidi_, above all else, you must remember this house's first unofficial regulation. You must respect _shixiong_…"

In fact, the head of QingYun's Bamboo Peak, Tian BuYi, was very lazy. Although he seeks to improve his own reputation and standing within the QingYun faction, he had always been too lazy to instruct his own disciples. Generally, he just teaches them the basics of Taoism and then later pays them no attention, using the excuse of letting his disciples engage in self-study.

His wife SuRu, however, is fiercely competitive and often got in fights when she was younger. She was very famous prior to her marriage, but after settling down with Tian BuYi, her temper had been significantly reduced. Unfortunately, as a result she was very prone to boredom.

For her, the disciples of Bamboo Peak are useless for her competitive spirit. In the Seven Peak Tournament held every sixty years, all of QingYun's seven houses arrive at the Peak of the Widow to compete and display their progress in cultivation to all spectators. It was a very prestigious event and the disciples were responsible for their house's own reputation. After all, no house-head wanted their house to be known as weak.

Unfortunately, for many years, the Bamboo Peak disciples had been defeated with the sole exception of DaRen who had won a single round. The rest of them had all lost and became the joke of QingYun.

SuRu had always wanted to win, thus, how could she bear such a shameful loss? As such, she often "teaches" the disciples on her husband, Tian BuYi's, behalf. Although she was beautiful and appeared very gentle and elegant, her temper was quite nasty.

Additionally, her level of cultivation was extremely high and, as such, could beat the disciples black and blue if she wasn't careful. Naturally, the disciples of Bamboo Peak fear their beautiful _shiniang_ far more than their short, fat master.

By the time they could see the Hall of Quietude again, it was already late. The sun had already sunk in the west painting a brilliant sunset on the sky. In the fading light, DaRen and Shirou slowly walked to the mountain. LingEr had flown back on Phoenix Soul long ago.

From the peak of the mountain, one could hear the barking of a dog and the screams of some poor men.

* * *

By dinner hour the sky was already dark.

On Bamboo Peak, the entire back of the mountain was filled with forests of bamboo. Thus, the peoples' housing is all built at the front hill. The largest and most important structure was the main hall, the Hall of Quietude. The Tian BuYi couple and their daughter lived in one of the back halls.

Next to the Hall of Quietude was the courtyard where the other disciples live. Since there were only a few people living at Bamboo Peak, the number of rooms was actually larger than the number of people. Thus, disciples didn't need to share rooms, even the youngest and newest arrival, Shirou, would have a room to call his own.

By living conditions alone, Bamboo Peak was far superior than all the other houses.

Aside from housing and the bamboo forest, the only other structures of note were the Tai Chi Cave, kitchen and dining hall. At around this time, the disciples had all gathered within the dining hall.

Sixth Disciple BiShu, who was usually in charge of cooking, was serving food to the table. There were very few meats, most of the dishes were of rice and vegetables. Disciples are seated on the right side of the long table by seniority, thus, DaRen sat at the head and Shirou sat at the end. Across from the table, there was a large chair with two smaller chairs on its sides, seemingly prepared for the Tian BuYi family.

Shirou noticed that there was an empty seat beside him that BiShu had set. After a while, the sixth disciple of Bamboo Peak, finally finished serving meals, washed his hands and then went back to his seat, waiting with the other disciples for their master, Tian BuYi, to arrive.

BiShu looked to be quite young. He had a thin, pointed face with large eyes. He looked like a thief and also seemed to be very clever. He sat down at his prepared seat and looked at Shirou smiling.

"_Shidi_, what is your name?" Asked the sixth.

"Shirou," was the honest reply.

BiShu nodded his head and gestured to himself: "I am your sixth _shixiong_, BiShu."

"Sixth _shixiong,_" was the respectful reply.

BiShu coughed into his hand, patted his shoulders and smiled: "In a moment, when master arrives, you can try your _shixiong's_ cooking skill…"

Shirou looked at the table full of food. The dishes all seemed to be well made and expertly prepared. He couldn't help but swallow in anticipation nodded firmly to BiShu.

BiShu's face suddently gained a rather devious smile. He pointed towards the entrance of the dining hall: "Shirou _shidi_, in a moment, master, _shiniang_, and _shimei_, will come. Let's make a bet, okay?"

Shirou froze, remembering DaRen's words from earlier in the day. The other gathered disciples had turned their heads towards the two with a smile. The fifth disciple DaXin, who sat on the other side of BiShu, laughed.

"Old sixth! Your gambling addiction arises again, eh?"

"He hasn't won for a long time and now he seeks to fool a child?" The fourth disciple, DaZhi, said lightheartedly.

"Get lost! All of you!" BiShu waved again and again. If he was embarrassed, he didn't show it. He ignored the other disciples at the table and smiled again at Shirou.

"_Shidi_, who do you think from master's family will be the first to enter?" The sixth disciple looked over to his _shixiongs_: "You can have the first guess since you're new, that way, other people can't say that this mean sixth _shixiong_ bullied you."

Second disciple DaYi, sitting at the opposite end of the table, cried loudly: "Shirou_ shidi_! This is a bet, ask him what happens if you win or lose."

BiShu let out a grunt and glared playfully at the second: "What? Are you afraid that I will bilk? That I, Da BiShu, whose gambler's conduct is known throughout the world as honorable, would do such a thing?"

"Your conduct may be legendary, _shidi_, but your skills are the opposite." DaYi said with mirth in his eyes. "If I recall correctly, you have never won!"

BiShu let out a pitiful sound reminiscent of a dying dog.

The sixth, recovering rather quickly from the ordeal, turned back to Shirou, smiling once more. If anything, BiShu's energy was entertaining.

"Shirou _shidi_, how about this? If you guess right, I will help you chop down the bamboo for ten days. If you lose, you need to help me wash the dishes for ten days. How does that sound?"

Everyone laughed; DaRen scoffs: "Lazy."

Even though he had yet to be here for a whole day, Shirou already feels like he is truly part of a family. Seeing all of the other disciples smiling, kind and friendly made him smile slightly.

"Deal."

BiShu was excited. He slapped his leg, feeling energetic and radiant: "Alright _shidi_, tell me, will it be master, _shiniang_ or _shimei_ that comes in first?"

All eyes fell onto Shirou who pondered for a moment. The QingYun always respected their master first and foremost, but Shirou had thought about the energetic girl, LingEr, from earlier that day. She seemed quite excitable and would probably come through the doorway first.

However, Shirou had the rather impure thought that his master was quite pudgy. In the life of cultivation, conditioning of the body was rather important so Tian BuYi couldn't be lazy in that regard. Rather, Shirou's childish mind had rationalized that Tian BuYi must have loved food dearly and eat more than all the others. As a man who loved to eat, he must be rather excited for dinner and walk through the door first!

Thus, it was with this impure and sacrilegious thought that Shirou said: "Master."

Everyone laughed again, though, the fifth couldn't help but shake his head.

"To think I see the day that someone was tricked by old sixth…" DaXin shook his head.

BiShu was very happy, thinking his victory was assured. He looked at Shirou: "_Shidi_, _shimei_ is always the first to rush into the dining hall. I guess you'll have to help me wash dishes then."

Shirou just tilted his head to the side and gave a confused look to the sixth: "Of course, sixth_ shixiong_. I said I would."

"You serious sixth?" The third disciple DaLi laughed.

Rolling his eyes, BiShu replied: "What are you saying old third? I didn't force him and we're both alright with losing, right, _shidi_?"

Shirou nodded, the words he was going to say cut off by DaRen.

"Master is here."

Everyone hid their expression, anxious to see the result of the innocent bet. They stood and faced the door, ready to greet their master. Only a moment later did Tian BuYi's stout body appear by the entrance. Behind him was…

Nothing!

There was no one behind him; Tian BuYi had come alone.

All the disciples were stunned; was the sixth's misfortune truly this great?

"Master, where are _shiniang_ and _shimei_?" Cried the sixth, who couldn't help but ask immediately.

Tian BuYi stared at his sixth disciple strangely for a moment and said plainly: "_Shiniang_ went to visit her home with _shimei_."

The disciples, still stunned, couldn't help but break out into laughter after a moment. Shirou didn't laugh, but the corners of his lips were slightly upturned.

The sixth was stunned stupid and speechless.

Tian BuYi sat down in his large chair and waved his hand towards the disciples: "Eat."

All of them sat down and each one took their turn to look at BiShu with a smile and mirth in their eyes. Tian BuYi looked towards Shirou and then back to DaRen.

"Have you told him the rules and precepts of our house?"

DaRen nodded: "Yes, today I told Shirou _shidi_ the twelve rules and the twenty precepts. As for the basic Dao cultivation principles, this disciple saw that his _shidi_ is tired from his first day. I intend to formally instruct him tomorrow."

Tian BuYi nodded in agreement with the first's assessment. "Seventh."

"Yes master, this disciple is present." Replied Shirou, standing up in respect.

There was approval in Tian BuYi's eyes. His confidence in the disciple's success rose from his quick reaction.

"You must first follow Da _shixiong_. Remember to try hard; knowledge is without bounds; diligence will be your friend. As long as you continue to persevere, you will succeed. We all have high-expectations for you. Understand?"

Shirou slightly lowered his head in respect: "Yes."

Tian BuYi waved: "Eat."

Shirou, for however old his soul was, his body was still young and short. Sitting on a chair and holding a large bowl, he was unable to reach some of the dishes that were farther away. Seeing this, BiShu chuckled to himself and helped him several times to get the foods that he wanted. His gambling conduct was truly legendary; Very gracious in defeat.

"Shirou _shidi_, eat more."

Shirou nodded grateful and continued to eat. After a while, his curiosity got the better of him and he asked: "Sixth _shixiong_?"  
BiShu turned his head: "What?"

"When master said _shiniang_ went to go visit home, where did she go?"

"Of course," the sixth nodded, "When master said _shiniang_ went to visit home, she didn't go to her parent's house. Rather, she went back to visit Bamboo Heights, Master Shui Yue's house.

Shirou was surprised: "What?"

BiShu glanced at Tian BuYi, lowered his voice and continued: "_Shiniang_ was from Bamboo Heights. The current head of the house, Master Shui Yue and her were actually _shijiemei_. But then, I have no idea how – she was very beautiful, she surprisingly married master. I heard that a lot of men in QingYun don't understand it either…"

BiShu was cut off from his explanation when a chopstick made contact with his forehead. The strength behind the object was not light and caused his head to snap back, leaving an angry red mark on his forehead.

Across the table, they saw Tian BuYi's angry face and that his hand was missing a chopstick.

BiShu turned towards Shirou and stuck out his tongue. Not daring to say anything else, he put his head down and resumed eating.

At this time, DaRen asked Tian BuYi: "Master, when the Headmaster asked the seven houses to assemble at the Crystal Hall, how come only Master Shui Yue didn't show up?"

Tian BuYi only grunted and grabbed another set of chopsticks: "That old bat pretended to be sick; sent someone to the Head of Faction about what… she had a fever and count not go. _Shixiong_ actually believed it. Hmph! Although, today if she came, she would have tried to rob _shidi_ from us."

Fourth disciple DaZhi coughed twice in his hand: "Master… Master Shui Yue's house refuses to adopt male disciples."

Tian BuYi stopped as if remembering something and then shook his head.

"And your _shiniang_… As soon as she heard that Shui Yue was ill, she immediately took LingEr and went to go visit. They left so quickly that you'd think it was the end of the world."

All the disciples looked at each other with relief and happy expressions on their faces. DaRen hesitated for a moment and then asked.

"Master, how long will _shiniang_ stay with Master Shui Yue?"

Tian BuYi getting the hidden meaning glared at him: "What do you mean how long? She went today and will be back tonight."

All of the disciples sighed in disappointment. Their master snorted and asked DaRen: "Did your _shiniang_ guide you again today?"

DaRen didn't have any time to reply, the second disciple, DaYi, had already cut in.

"Master, don't ask this traitorous disciple. Da _shixiong_ deserted us today."

With a bit of anger DaRen defended himself. "Nonsense, I was ordered by master to help with Shirou _shidi's_ instruction."

"Boo…" the rest of the disciples responded.

* * *

Dinner had last for an hour, then, everyone left the dining hall. Shirou had wanted to stay and help BiShu wash the dishes despite winning the bet that the two had made.

The sixth disciple of Bamboo Peak had laughed and refused the help: "Shirou _shidi_, thank you. However, I can do it myself. You won the bet, don't worry, tomorrow I'll help you chop the bamboo."

Shirou shook his head in denial. "Sixth _shidi_, I know you have lost the bet, but I ask that you don't help me with my homework. If I rely on you not, then I will have more trouble in the future."

"Oh? What a mature little _shidi_ we have." DaRen's voice issued from the outside: "Come, Shirou _shidi_, I will take you to your room."

Shirou nodded but before he could leave BiShu offered: "_Shidi_, if that is your wish, then how about this? This time I will owe you one, if you need me to help you with something in the future, just let me know, ok?"

Shirou replied, "Sixth _shixiong_, can we just forget about it? It's just…"

He didn't have time to finish his words as the sixth disciple became frighteningly serous. There was an intense energy in his gaze.

"What are you talking about. Do you think I am the kind of person that cannot tell the difference between good and bad, win or lose? A promise is a promise, if I don't keep it, all the other _shixiongs_ will laugh at me." BiShu passionately shouted, his gambler's pride on full display.

Shirou just shook his head: "If that is your wish, _shixiong_."

DaRen grabbed Shirou's shoulder: "Come, _shidi_, I'll take you to your new room."

The two leave the kitchen, the sky long darkened. The bright moon was slowly rising and hung in the eastern sky. They passed the entrance of the Hall of Quietude. Shirou peered inside the great hall and saw that all of the lights had gone out. It was completely dark except for the moonlight shining at the front entrance. Quite the ghastly sight.

They walked to the courtyard next to the hall where DaRen had told Shirou the disciples lived. DaRen took him to the room farthest right.

He said, "Shirou _shidi_, today when you woke up, you were in the room that I live in. The other _shidi's_ houses follows the same order of seniority."

Shirou nodded in understanding. The courtyard that he was led to was actually empty of residents, the other _shixiongs_ living farther to the left than he. It just so happened that he was the first room in a new courtyard.

DaRen paused for a moment and then continued: "You live by yourself, are you scared?"

Shirou shook his head.

DaRen could only smile: "Good. We are proud men; how can we be so if we are afraid of loneliness! Come, let us go inside."

They both went inside the room.

Shirou carefully examined the foreign place that would house him for years to come. It was in the courtyard's corner, a pine tree on the left and five to six chutes of bamboo to the right two or three men high. There were small stones paved into a trail on the ground lined with grass. The gentle night breeze was blowing, gently shaking the bamboo leaves and delivering the faint scent of grass. Everything was very peaceful.

DaRen opened the door and lit the candles inside: "_Shidi_, come in."

Shirou went in and saw that it was furnished similarly to DaRen's room with a wooden floor. There was a single bed, a table and chair, and a kettle and some cups. There was nothing else.

DaRen said, "I have already cleaned it for you today, so you can start staying here now. Mountain life is hard; you are still young and may feel lonely. However, we are QingYun cultivators and must be able to live even under the harshest conditions. All aspects of daily life, you must do yourself."

Shirou replied, "Yes, Da _shixiong_."

DaRen nodded his head, looked around for a moment, and said: "If there is nothing more, then I will go back. Your mind must be tired, get some early rest."

Shirou nodded and then asked, "_Shixiong_, it is just getting dark, why do the other Shixiong turn in so early?"

DaRen laughed: "You don't know? We've studied Dao cultivation at Bamboo Peak for at least four decades already so there isn't much of a reason to go out. Bamboo Peak has become boring for us and not interesting enough anymore to walk. The fourth loves to read, the second loves to sing, hard people like the third will stay in their house and practice, there are simply other things that are more enjoyable to us now."

Having said his piece, Daren smiled and patted Shirou's head, ruffling his auburn locks in the process. He reminded the boy about a few house rules and then turned around, closed the door behind him and walked away.

Shirou felt as if the entire world had just turned silent. His entire day was filled with attention from one of his other _shixiongs_. The transition from amicable conversation to utter silence was rather stark. He went towards the table provided for him and sat down blankly for a while with nothing to do. He blew out the lights, took of his coat and then went to bed. Turning over and over again, eventually falling asleep.

"Ah!"

In the darkness, Shirou had shouted and sat up, gasping for air. His dreams had been nightmares. He was back in Grasstemple Village, saw his mother and father, and his childhood friends. Yet, they were all dead, bloody and horrifying. His body couldn't handle the visions and thus, he woke up with a cold sweat.

He sat for a while on the bed and each passing second his breath got slower and he became calmer. His eyes were also slowly adjusting to the night light. A faint bit of pale moonlight shined through his window, illuminating the brick wall in its frosty light.

Shirou was not sleepy anymore and so, he got up and went to the door. He opened the door and went outside to the courtyard.

Silence engulfed him, the only sounds coming from unknown insects. The ethereal moonlight shined on his body. He looked up at the sky and stared for a while. He saw so many stars. The moon was in the middle of the sky, white and bright.

He couldn't help but think of his childhood friend, JingYu. How was he doing right now? Where was he? Was he unable to sleep as well? Such thoughts filled his head but ultimately only caused him grief. The separation from the other Grasstemple Villager was painful.

Shirou sighed wistfully and returned towards his room. He stepped on his clothes and caused them to shift. A dark purple bead fell out of his coat and rolled to a stop in the moon's white light.

He had honestly forgotten about the object. Nevertheless, he walked over, leaned over, and picked it up, holding it under the moon's light. It was a single dim dark purple bead with a hole running through it. He remembered seeing it on PuZhi's rosary that day. With all that had happened recently, the object must have escaped his mind despite all of PuZhi's warnings.

Now he remembered that the monk had told him to throw this bead away.

His heart grew bitter as a frown appeared on his face. There was barely anything left from his mother or father. The rest of the Grasstemple Villagers hadn't left him anything to remember them by. Even for JingYu, all he had were his memories.

Even though he had only talked with PuZhi for a small amount of time, he had still inducted him as his first disciple. In those few hours, they were family. How could the old monk possibly have asked him to discard the last remaining piece of him when he had nothing else to hold?

Thus, he decided to hold onto the bead.

He tied it with a red string and hung it around his neck so that it rested against his chest. The bead wasn't cold nor warm, but the thoughts of PuZhi and the familial bond they shared for those hours made Shirou feel much more alive.

Most people would have hung it from a gold or silver chain, but his family was very poor. His mother and father had gifted him a red piece of string, wishing for him to have a long, peaceful life. As such, he combined his only two treasures.

Shirou smiled to himself and looked towards the moon. He had almost forgotten about the other promise he swore to PuZhi, that he would practice the techniques that the monk had given him every night, out of sight of any others. He knew that all of the _shixiongs_ were in their rooms or sleeping, though, he didn't know how long he was stuck in that nightmare. Tian BuYi and his family was also asleep and lived in the Hall of Quietude. There would be no prying eyes or disturbances.

So Shirou opened his door again, and walked into the courtyard.

* * *

The Buddhist monk PuZhi had given Shirou a set of twenty precepts on his deathbed. Being utterly enraptured during the lecture, Shirou had committed all twenty of them to heart in under two hours.

However, the child didn't know that this scripture that his late master had imparted was actually the TianYin's Brahman Wisdom.

Brahman Wisdom was the set of precepts that elevated the TianYin monks above the other Fu practitioners. Whilst QingYun dominated the Dao factions, the same could be said about the TianYin and the Fu factions. Shirou only knew that it was a Fu scripture and nothing else. He understood that if another Dao saw him perform it, he would most likely die. However, he felt like he owed his life to the Buddhist monk and, despite all of the risks, would keep practicing the precepts.

Thus, he now began his study on the first precept of Brahman Wisdom.

_The world is but noise, only the self is quiet._

While he was clueless to most mundane things, for some reason, the words that PuZhi had given him were clearer than the bright night sky above him.

From his understanding, the passage told him to cut off the energy of the world and find his inner spiritual essence. However, that was much easier said than done in his mind. The atmosphere of Bamboo Peak was saturated in spiritual energy. To find one's own energy was akin to finding a drop in a bucket.

Expecting failure from his first attempt, Shirou sat on the courtyard ground in the lotus position. PuZhi had instructed that it was the more basic position to practice breathing meditation. As such, Shirou took the advice of the last monk and began to control his breaths. In… out… each repetition purposeful and meticulous.

In his meditative trance, Shirou could feel the chaotic energies of the world surrounding him. Though the quantity of the energy around his was vast, it knew no master and thus churned violently. He began to search himself for his spiritual energy, but it was difficult.

Shirou didn't precisely know what he was looking for. The scripture had only said that he needed to find his own internal energies. He couldn't use any of the following precepts either as they were just gibberish and incomprehensible to him at the moment. PuZhi had warned him of such, and thus, he was stuck searching himself for a spiritual flame.

Eventually, he thought that he had found it. He depicted it as a writing mass of blue power. It was chaotic, but less so than the world. Rather than try and spread out across his body, the power was content staying still. It was a rather curious contradiction - ordered chaos.

The power in this state was still noisy, in order to reach inner quiet, then it must be tamed.

Thus, Shirou mentally grasped the power and pulled.

Immediately, the sensation of intense pain spread across his entire body. His body felt as if it was being punctured by a thousand blades; the blood coursing through his veins were molten glass. It was the most intense and vivid torture that he had ever felt. His body screaming, begging to release its pain, but still the boy held strong in the lotus position.

Shirou knew that he could not scream and that he must remain strong like steel. If he were to announce his pain, it would wake his _shixiongs_ only a few hallways away. The mountainous terrain would echo his cries all the way to the Hall of Quietude where it would no doubt alert his master, Tian BuYi.

His _shixiongs_ would be concerned and fret over him. They were a kind and friendly bunch, treating him as family even though they had known him for less than a day.

However, there was no telling how Tian BuYi would react.

Shirou didn't want to disappoint his master regardless of how he felt towards him. Afterall, it was Tian BuYi who had graciously adopted him under his house, Bamboo Peak. It was because of his pudgy master that he was able to meet his _shixiongs and shijie_. It was because of his lazy master that he had a place to live after the Grasstemple Village Massacre.

He was frightened of his master, Tian BuYi.

Should Tian BuYi find him in such a state, there would no doubt be questions. He was from a small country village with no cultivation background. DaRen had also informed him during dinner than he had not taught Shirou any Dao techniques. Thus, it would raise the question of what Shirou was doing.

The first official precept of the Bamboo Peak was no practice outside master's guidance.

DaRen informed him that it wasn't because Tian BuYi was a greedy or prideful master that lusted after his disciple's accomplishments, but rather a precept born out of care, to ensure that his disciples did not stray from the virtuous path the QingYun walked and to ensure that their cultivation was progressing normally and without any concerns.

What Shirou was doing right now most definitely qualified as self-practice and it was most definitely outside of Tian BuYi's watchful guidance. Thus, Shirou kept his pain hidden. He had gritted his teeth together tightly, the gnashing and friction helping him alleviate only a small modicum of the fiery hell.

Unknown to him, the flame that he had found was not the one that Brahman Wisdom had alluded to. Rather than try to harm Shirou, the energy seemed eager, as if it were welcoming an old friend.

His body was gifted fifty magical circuits when he was cured from the Seven Tails Centipede's poison, however, until this point, they had remained inactive. When Shirou had reached for the energy in his meditative stance, he had inadvertently activated all fifty of his circuits, each containing an insane amount of prana.

The rush of magical energy had overwhelmed his body's senses. Any amount of magical energy released during the activation of one's circuits would lead to some pain, though, it would vary depending on the quantity of magical energy one had at its disposal. Unfortunately, for Shirou, he possessed the largest amount of magical energy that would be recorded in a human, even eclipsing various arch-mages from the Age of Gods.

For this quantity of magical energy, Shirou should have died. To awaken so many high-quality circuits at the same time was tantamount to suicide. His body would have preserved, but his mind would have been overwhelmed by the sensation of pain.

Fortunately for him, the bead around his neck was magical.

Shirou's body acted as a conduit between the two magical signatures, the dark purple bead was still resting atop of his chest. His body was simply bursting with his own od, saturated to the point of pain. Like many other things, magical energy will flow from high to low concentration. To be contained within and trapped was order; the very nature of this energy was chaotic.

So, the energy rushed towards the purple bead. Throughout the ordeal, if one could see the purple orb, they would have noticed a glowing golden symbol, the Buddhist Manji. It represented a magical barrier created by the late PuZhi, intended on keeping the energy and spirits housed within the purple orb sealed.

Thus, the barrier was extremely weak when attacked from the outside; PuZhi had only expected resistance from the inside. As Shirou's magical energy continued to writhe and accumulate, PuZhi's barrier grew weaker each passing moment. Eventually, the golden Manji faded completely, the magic housing the barrier depleted.

It was then that a vile presence made itself known across the courtyard. The purple orb seemed to have a ghastly glow in the moonlight. Yet, for all its power, it had been constantly fighting a barrier for the better part of a few decades, the spirit within it was weak and its power exhausted.

The bloodthirsty spirit within latched onto Shirou's being. There was only a single curse imparted onto the purple bead. All that touched it would have their body drained of their blood. They would shrivel up, their bodies completely dry.

Thus, the curse activated. Without the Buddhist barrier blocking the interaction between it and Shirou, the malevolent spirit within the bead was able to actuate its curse. From Shirou's body, it greedily drank his lifeblood, its thirst unquenchable in its years of sealing.

Its thirst would be its downfall, however. Shirou had just activated his magical circuits for the first time and, as such, every fiber of his being was saturated with his unique signature. Thus, when the bead drank from him, it didn't drink normal mortal blood but instead molten steel, liquid blades.

The spirit within the orb noticed this abnormal situation and tried to stymie the flow of blood from the boy, but it was already too late. There was already too much of it in the container that it drowned and dwarfed all the other energies within. The bloodthirsty spirit could only writhe in pain and terror.

It relied on the blood of its victims so supply its own magical and spiritual power. It greedily drank since it needed to convert it to energy. Thus, when it had drunk these liquid blades, it could only feel intense pain and suffering. Within the bead, the spirit it housed let a bloodcurdling scream but no one would be able to hear it.

Its presence was slowly fading to the world of blades. Shards of steel punctured its spiritual form from within, turning its image into a macabre pincushion. The process would continue. As its magical signature weakened, so did its ability to reject external energies. Thus, the spirit in the orb was fated to die, with each passing second, more of Shirou's unique prana flooded the container and only added to the pain.

Finally, the writhing ceased, the wails silenced, its suffering ended.

The purple bead that hung around Shirou's neck glowed dimly for only a second. Silver energy swirled from within.

Shirou had no idea how long the burning sensation lasted, his body had never gotten accustomed to the pain. It was hard to keep track of time in his current state. In order to make it through the ordeal he had focused solely on his meditative position and the breathing techniques that PuZhi had taught him. The thought of the kind monk brought some comfort.

Suddenly, the pain stopped.

There was no transitory period. Much like how it began, it had ended, instantly.

Slowly, the boy opened his eyes that he had shut tight with all his might. For the first time in what felt like days he saw the peaceful courtyard that he had chosen as a meditation spot.

Shirou looked at the sky and saw that it was still dark, though, the moon had traveled a considerable distance. He was lost in both his meditation and pain. His mind was thoroughly exhausted from the endeavor and he wanted nothing more than a good night's sleep. He doubted that he would see the villagers of Grasstemple in his dreams, his mind too tired for even dreams.

His legs failed him as he tried to rise. The limbs had been stationary for quite some time and he felt needle-pricks run along the areas below where they had crossed. Moaning pitifully, he waited to regain control of the legs and gradually stood up with some effort.

Not only was his mind tired, but his body was as well. Surely, he would sleep well tonight.

Shirou opened the door to his room with some difficulty and closed it with the same effort. He had walked across his garments on the floor, carefully avoiding them to avoid getting them dirty or creased. He plopped down on the bed like a dead man.

_'If that is the first lesson of Fu, then no wonder why Dao is more popular_._'_

With that last thought, the boy drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

His first day in QingYun had ended.

* * *

A/N: Some notes. Take year numbers with a grain / pile of salt. If you're not used to WuXia or XianXia novels the years won't make any sense. I usually just pretend everyone has eternal young until they wish they don't. Also these novels love to exaggerate, so take most numbered things lightly.

We already ruined the canon path for Shirou, that bead is pretty important.

Also we get the first girl in Shirou's new life, LingEr. In the original novel, she was cruelly stolen away from him. I wonder what will happen here...

(1) - These predestined bonds / destiny are used frequently for romantic connotation

(2) - Du DaShu - DaShu means uncle though it has a different intonation

(3) - Du BiShu - DuBo / Du is gambling, Bi is must, Shu can mean lose

(4) - ShiRou - Can mean wet meat, carnivore (meat ripper), soft one or kind / gentle one


	3. QingYun - 2

A/N: In the chapter I try to merge two established magical universes, develop a romance and give Shirou a few of his old toys back.

Whenever combining two magical systems, its always a pain - especially with Fate since its so specific and restrictive. That being said, I took a few liberties with both systems and tried to create a coherent magical system that doesn't step on anyone's toes too much. It's explained in the chapter, but here is the basics listed really quick:

Spirit / Yin Energy = Mana

Vigor / Yang Energy = Prana

I'm combining both spiritual terms and magical terms so if you see 'spiritual potential', its synonymous with 'magical potential'. In the future, I will most likely stick to using the fate terminology since the protagonist is from the franchise. However, I will still use spiritual terms within context so if I'm talking about Dao cultivation, I won't use words like mana or magical circuits since that would be kind of strange.

As for story, this is the second out of three chapters solely at Bamboo Peak. I'm sure you can guess what comes afterwards... (tournament arc)

Longer chapter, but I don't really like stopping at cliffhangers

Also thanks for the reviews! I know that I don't respond to all of them, but I try to answer questions in the reviews.

* * *

QingYun - 2

"Shirou!"

A sweet voice cried out in a deafening pitch and startled Shirou from his dreamless sleep. Opening his eyes, he suddently saw a big mouth with two rows of sharp teeth hovering in front of his face. He couldn't help but let out a scream of surprise, "Ah!"

"Kaka…" a burst of laughter came from behind.

Shirou had finally calmed down and saw a big brown dog in front of him: half a man high, shiny yellow fur, and lying lazily on his bed. Behind the yellow dog, LingEr, in tight red clothing, was laughing.

"You're having too much fun at my expense, _shijie_." Said Shirou. He took a better look at the large yellow dog. A rather docile creature with such a massive body.

LingEr only smiled at him: "Mou, but you're so adorable when you're scared. Your eyes get so wide…"

'This _shijie_ is rather frightening.'

Shirou noticed the sunlight coming through his window and got out of the bed. He quickly put on his coat that was on the floor. He was going to walk outside and towards the bamboo forest, but LingEr cut him off.

"Oh, where are you going Shirou?" LingEr asked, her face still mirthful from the morning encounter.

Shirou replied without hesitation: "I'm going to the bamboo forest, _shijie_. As a new disciple, I must go and chop bamboo."

"Oh? What a studious disciple," teased LingEr. She brought her finger to her chin, her eyes looking upwards as her visage took on a thinking expression. "This _shijie_ can't help but wonder, however, how will you cut the bamboo you need?"

After a moment, Shirou couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. In his haste to venture towards the bamboo forest, he forgot that he would probably need something to cut down the bamboo with.

LingEr smiled at his rosy cheeks and reached down towards Shirou's bed. She grabbed something resting atop the surface: "Catch," and tossed to him.

Shirou's eyes could only widen in shock. He caught the object by its black grip with a single hand and noted that it was quite heavy. He looked down at the object, it was a common machete, a quite heavy one at that.

'This _shijie_ is very frightening!'

LingEr just jumped off Shirou's bed energetically, ignorant of the fright of the auburn-haired boy. Her green eyes were vibrant and sparkled with life.

Arriving in front of him, she grabbed his hand and started to pull him outside the room.

"Come on, we need to go to the mountain to chop bamboo!"

* * *

Shirou, having acquired his hand back, now followed behind the energetic LingEr.

"_Shijie_ needs to go to the mountain as well?"

"Of course. All new disciples of our house need to go to the mountain and cut down Black Bamboo for the first three years, I started when I was ten years old, so this is my last year!"

LingEr had eventually calmed down enough. Now, two people and one dog walked towards the Bamboo Forest.

The morning was still young and the mountainside was covered with a hazy fog. The sunlight was bright and soft, the morning breeze slightly damp.

Yesterday, DaRen had carried Shirou towards the back hill and, as such, it was very easy and relaxing to get there atop his shoulder. However, now that he was walking on the trail to the forest, he noticed that it was longer than what he expected and slightly steeper.

The yellow-brown dog that had lazily slept on Shirou's bed had woken up and followed the two, and seemingly knew where they would be going. It traveled about the slopes easily enough. It was very energetic, changing its position and running around the two of them constantly. It sometimes ran into the wood around the two before bursting back out with excitement.

LingEr didn't use Phoenix Soul today and it appeared she had a very easy time with walking. With having traveled the same path for two and some years now, it was very familiar to her. The red-figure walking on the trail was fast and light-footed.

Shirou, after a half-hour of walking among the slopes, began to tire, however, he continued onwards as to not slow down his _shijie_. He resolved to improve his stamina; he wouldn't be a disappointment.

They had now been walking silently down the trail for a while now. However, Shirou had a question.

"_Shijie_, I have something to ask you, I don't…"

LingEr noticed that Shirou was going to add his usual manners and platitudes and waved it off. She looked back and saw his golden eyes look at her. She felt kind of proud, she had never been a senior disciple; she subconsciously fixed her hair a little.

"Just ask plainly." His manners and formality were endearing, but also very tiring and time consuming.

"Why do we need to cut down the bamboo as homework? Was the purpose of homework not to practice cultivation?" asked Shirou. He believed that he knew the answer, but wanted to confirm his conclusion with LingEr.

LingEr curled her lip: "You really know nothing… For a cultivator, the body is one of the most important aspects. My mom always says that, if the body is not strong enough, that even if we learned difficult magics, we would be unable to perform them.

"We QingYun branched from Taoism and as such are very focused on health. When learning higher levels of cultivation and magic, the body will be even more important. It must be able to handle the strain.

"Take the strongest spell of QingYun, Thunderblade, as an example…"

Shirou couldn't help but twitch, his eyes subconsciously widening a fraction.

Cut off from her lecture, LingEr asked, "What's wrong?"

Shirou, broken out of his shock, replied half-truthfully, "Nothing. I'm just remembering the stories I was told of it."

LingEr smiled: "Of course it got your attention. Even though it is one of QingYun's secret skills, only able to performed by a handful of people, it is still very famous throughout all the factions. I heard my dad once say, to use this magic, they must use themselves, with the help of an Esper, to attract godly lightning from the nine heavens. Anyone there will be dead all at once, the power of a god, peerless power."

At hearing this Shirou could only sigh. He had witnessed Thunderblade before, of course, back at Grasstemple. PuZhi was able to stop the godly lightning, however. What manner of strength did his late master wield?

Also, had that mysterious man been from QingYun? Such a thought would be radical; the QingYun were protectors and viewed as just across the land.

LingEr didn't notice Shirou's turmoil and continued.

"Think about it, even with protective spells supporting you, it is the power of the god's thunder. When normal people touch it, not even ashes will remain. Of course, the caster must possess a rather strong cultivation, but with a weak body, they will be killed by the very lightning they summon before anyone else."

Shirou didn't care for the conversation anymore. The QingYun technique only reminded him of the night of the Grasstemple Village Massacre. It was confusing.

He let out a sigh: "_Shijie_, come, let us hurry towards the bamboo forest."

His mind was busy and divided. It would be a blessing to vent his frustrations on some poor bamboo.

LingEr looked surprised for only a second before smiling a bit sadly. She let Shirou lead the way and followed behind him. He was being very formal again which was slightly disheartening.

When they finally reached the bamboo hill, Shirou's legs were sore, but he was not exhausted. The big yellow dog from before was already laying at the entrance to the bamboo forest. Seeing the two of them approaching, it barked a few times, but didn't even bother to get up.

Shirou couldn't remember when the dog had passed them on the trail: "Really fast…"

"Are you talking about DaHuang?" LingEr came up from behind, her face smiling beautifully once more. She wasn't out of breath, not even a single drop of sweat was on her skin.

Shirou pointed towards the dog: "Its name is DaHuang?"

LingEr nodded: "Yup! Don't underestimate him, he's very strong."

Shirou murmured: "From the size, he must be at least twenty years old."

"No way!"

"He's less than twenty years old? Then DaHuang must have grown really fast."

Now DaHuang barked ruthlessly at Shirou.

"I mean that he isn't that young. Uh… Let's see… He was already here when fourth _shixiong_ came and that was seventy… No. Third_ shixiong_ said that DaHuang was already here when he came. If that's the case then that would be ninety-seven… Ah!"

Shirou was surprised at the sudden shout: "Huh?"

LingEr said: "I remember now. When I was a child, one day Mom and Dad were arguing. She said something about killing the dog that Dad raised when Dad made her very angry. DaHuang was scared for many days and didn't come home!"

The big dog seemed to shiver; Shirou raised an eyebrow: "DaHuang, afraid to return home?"

"Yeah, DaHuang has lived for many years now, he understands humans. Knowing how strong mom is, he was genuinely afraid that he was going to be killed by her, so he ran away and escaped. Smart, right?"

"Truly…" Shirou looked at the dog again. DaHuang seemed content to ignore the two of them, he snorted then shook his tail, turned his over body and lazily laid down on the ground.

The two of them shared a companionable silence. LingEr led Shirou through the woods and, after a while, they came to a place where the bamboo growth was much denser. The Black Bamboo here was as thick as her wrist.

LingEr looked very serious: "Here, for the next three months, you only need to chop down one bamboo daily."

Shirou nodded and, under the careful watch of LingEr's devious eyes, held up the machete and walked towards a stalk of bamboo. He looked at it for a moment, and then swung his machete at the chute with all his might, like he was chopping wood back at Grasstemple.

'What?'

It felt as if he had struck again solid stone, the sudden stop shocked his hands. The bamboo bent back a bit from the impact, and flicked back. Shirou was too caught up in his shock to notice, and his head got smacked by the plant, leaving a red mark where it had connected.

"Kaka…" LingEr laughed again, she seemed to take joy in seeing her _shidi's_ pain.

Shirou could only blush and glare murderously at the offending stalk. The plant innocently standing as if nothing had happened.

"You stay here and work, I need to go do my own homework." LingEr smiled and walked away to where the stalks were thicker.

Shirou rubbed his face where it had been hit. Staring at the stalk, he noticed an infinitesimally small cut where he struck the bamboo. For the whole morning, Shirou had dealt with that single stalk of Black Bamboo. His strikes weren't precise, and thus, some of his energy was wasted making white marks along the surface of the chute.

Four hours then passed, the sun was now high in the sky. Shirou's whole body was sweating, his hands and feet numb, but still, he was victorious. In front of him, his mortal enemy was cut in half. The Black Bamboo was much harder to chop than he anticipated, it had taken the entire time in order to cut through it.

From deeper within the forest, he heard someone singing. Soon, he saw LingEr skipping back while humming an unknown song. She looked at Shirou and her green eyes widened in surprise.

"Shirou is stronger than he lets on…"

The boy could only grin stupidly in his exhaustion. His body was too tired to continue standing and so, he fell to the ground.

LingEr sighed and made her way over to the boy: "Is this all it takes to tire you?"

Panting, Shirou responded: "Sorry, _shijie_, the bamboo was tougher than I thought."

LingEr rolled her eyes and extended her hand: "Stupid… What did I say about formality?"

Shirou took the offered hand, "Sorry, _shij…_" A murderous glare.

"Sorry." He corrected.

LingEr's face lit up: "Much better now! I'm so tired of everyone being so formal; DaRen is the worst with it!"

Her face suddently grew sad: "There wasn't anyone else to talk to for a long time. Dad only cares about cultivation and Mom is always too busy lecturing the other disciples."  
Now, as her eyes met Shirou, they were filled with happiness and life. "But when I heard that someone else around my age had arrived, I was so happy."

Seeing her sincere expression and smile, Shirou couldn't help but blush: "LingEr…"

If possible, her happiness increased hearing her own name coming from his mouth and her pale cheeks had a rosy tint.

"Hehe…" she giggled to herself.

Shirou dusted his clothes after he got up. He reached down and grabbed the machete from where it had fallen. The brief rest that he had was enough for him to recover from the exhaustion.

"Still though… To cut down the Black Bamboo on your first day…" LingEr muttered.

"It is nothing special; LingEr _shijie_ didn't even break a sweat from her homework." The boy responded.

The girl gave a playful glare: "Not on my first day! DaRen had to help me with it for a week before I could even cut down one! It also took me the entire day, you only used four hours!"

Shirou could give an awkward laugh and smiled at her admission.

"For you to cut it down the first day is nothing short of amazing. The Black Bamboo absorbs the spiritual energy of this mountainside, that's why it's so hard, basically like steel." LingEr continued. Shirou looked very uncomfortable at the praise.

Seeing him squirm, a teasing grin appeared on her face: "This _shijie_ is very proud of her little _shidi_~~~"

Shirou could only blush.

The pair walked back. LingEr was laughing happily.

* * *

Shirou had made it back to Bamboo Peak with a tired body. It was already noon. LingEr had waved goodbye and walked back to the Hall of Quietude. Shirou had stood there for a moment, then not knowing where to go, walked towards his room. At the corridor, DaRen was standing there, as if expecting him.

DaRen smiled seeing his _shidi_ and asked, "How are you Shirou_ shidi_. Are you tired?"

Shirou smiled a bit tiredly and shook his head.

DaRen noticed it but made no comment about it. He couldn't help smiling at his _shidi._ Although Shirou was still quite young, he was also very stubborn.

DaRen walked with Shirou to his room first and said: "Usually there will be hot water in the kitchen. In the future, you can go shower when you come back, then have lunch afterwards. Take a break first and clean up, I will come tell you when it's time for lunch. I will teach you after we eat."

Shirou simply nodded.

DaRen continued: "Afternoon is the time for disciples to practice their cultivation, today I will start by teaching you the basics of Dao."

There was a pause and then DaRen smiled: "When you're very advanced, the practice will be hard. However, you are a beginner at the art, so it will not be that strenuous."

Shirou could only think back to the attempt he made at the Fu practice, Brahman Wisdom, yesterday. His body shuddered and paled at that memory of the pain. Such pain from only the first verse!

DaRen saw him pale and added: "However, it does not matter if you do not get it immediately. You heard what mater said last night: knowledge is without bounds; diligence is your friend. As long as you persevere and practice hard, you will succeed."

Shirou nodded hard at the wise words.

That day, at lunch, Tian BuYi asked Shirou a few questions on how he did his homework. He told him that he managed to chop down a single Black Bamboo about as thick as his wrist.

"Shirou _shidi_! Surely you jest!" Came a cry from the second disciple DaYi.

Of course, no one believed him immediately. The disciples were shocked at what Shirou had proclaimed.

"It's true DaYi! I was with him today!" Cried LingEr.

"What!" Shouted all of the disciples with the exception of Shirou. The boy blushed slightly at being at the center of attention, but his face was otherwise stoic as he picked up various foods.

"Second how long did it take you again?" Asked BiShu.

"Hmm… If I remember correctly, about a month." Answered DaYi truthfully.

"Hehe… _Shidi_ is already surpassing you in that way."

The fifth disciple DaXin chuckled: "Sixth, what are you on about? If I remember correctly you were unable to cut that bamboo for an entire year! Master was furious at it."

Sixth disciple BiShu could only moan pitifully in response. The other disciples all laughed at his expense.

Shirou hadn't paid much attention to his _shixiongs_ during their banter. His eyes were watching his master, Tian BuYi. The pudgy man had a curious expression on his face as he considered his strange seventh disciple.

He would file away his thoughts for later though. He gave Shirou a nod of his head and waved his hand, motioning for him to return eating.

Shirou could see LingEr besides him, giggling at the interaction.

After lunch, Tian BuYi returned to the Hall of Quietude. While the other disciples despondently walked to the Tai Chi Cave with SuRu leading them, DaRen took Shirou back towards his own room. The muttering of 'traitor' began once again as SuRu's body leaked a black miasma.

When the two had arrived back at Shirou's room, DaRen began speaking: "Shirou _shidi_, our houses practice really focuses on the basics. Since you just arrived, I will teach you the basis of Dao cultivation. Afterwards, you must practice what I said on your own. If there is something that you don't understand, come ask me, you got that?"

Shirou nodded, his excitement growing.

DaRen's wasn't smiling and grew serious: "One last thing that I must warn you. QingYun's technique is extremely powerful. People will try to spy on us, to understand our cultivation. You must swear that after you learn this, that you will not teach this to anyone outside of QingYun."

Shirou understood the intent. PuZhi had also given him a similar ultimatum before providing the basics of Brahman Wisdom. Thus, he firmly responded: "I understand. If I, disciple Shirou, tells anyone about the QingYun secret techniques in the future, then I will die under righteous thunder in shame."

DaRen was curious of his wording, but smiled nonetheless. He sat down at the table and motioned Shirou to do the same. He taught Shirou the very basics of Dao, how to meditate, the body's energy movement and finally taught him the first verse of QingYun's Pure Essence.

Where Braham Wisdom was the basis of TianYin cultivation, Pure Essence was the basis of all QingYun magical technique. It was discovered by the founder two thousand years ago from a Nameless Tome. Through many generations of QingYun masters' research and cultivation, it had become one the strongest foundations in the mystical world today. An amazing supreme cultivation.

Pure Essence had three levels with each level containing various stages. The levels were YuQing, ShangQing and TaiQing. Most QingYun disciples, including the brilliant and talented, spend their entire lives practicing YuQing. Even simply practicing at the final level of YuQing is already very impressive.

QingYun, with its thousands of members, has only about ten individuals, including the current Headmaster Dao XuanZhen, who have ascended from YuQing into ShangQing. Even with only these handful of people passing the first stage, QingYun has still become one the strongest cultivation factions.

As for the legendary realm of TaiQing, according to legend, only Master QinYe ever got there.

* * *

It was DaRen's first time playing the role of a teacher. When he saw Shirou's eyes, bright with wonder, he couldn't help but increase his enthusiasm and continued talking.

He talked about the cultivation process for Pure Essence and its progression. Most people would need one year to master YuQing's first level, yet, later stages would be more difficult and require greater stretches of time. An ordinary disciple would on average need five years to complete the second level.

The third level was like a watershed, it separated the weak cultivators from the strong ones. If one had poor potential, they would be stuck there for the rest of their lives seeking to break through. The more accomplished people who had done so had needed fifty to sixty years in order to do so.

Shirou was completely enchanted by the lecture. DaRen smiled and continued.

Pure Essence's main incantations and verses were roughly completed in terms of outside instruction after the third level. From there, disciples would have to self-study to progress. Of course, they could ask for help from their master or others that had passed through, but their advancement would be entirely from their own determination. The experience is ultimately personal; the disciples must find their own path to walk instead of following behind their master's.

Thus, when one reached the fourth level of YuQing, it means that they have mastered the basic principles of Dao. Their master reads their elemental alignment and heavenly inclination at this point. Disciples then go about and practice different styles and types of magics and are allowed to craft their own Esper.

The origin of Espers is a long story. Myths and legends state that the gods of heaven have their own divine artifacts each containing power without equal. In the human world, cultivators are also able to mimic these constructs. The weaker ones are able to fly as fast as lightning; the stronger ones are able to shake both heaven and earth.

There are a variety of Esper materials and some are rather esoteric. The one certain trend is that the quality of the materials that go into its crafting process determine its power after it's completed. For instance, if a normal iron sword were utilized to cast Thunderblade, the sword would turn into slag and the owner into ashes.

For the QingYun, Master QinYe had found the peerless legendary sword Regenesis atop Moontop Hollow. Many of the younger generation had grown to admire him and thus, many people try to emulate him and craft their Espers as swords. Many generations later, many of the QingYun disciples had becomes swordsmen, it had almost become an unwritten rule. Even the change of the formal name to QingYun Sword Faction was not surprising.

In reality, an Esper was a divine artifact, it could take the form of any item.

The head of Bamboo Peak, Tian BuYi, had also crafted himself a sword Esper called Flame Spirit, and now it was one of the most famous swords of QingYun. For some unknown reason, the pudgy master discourages his disciples from crafting swords. Rather, he often pushes them to craft some different sorts of objects which causes a bit of criticism from within QingYun. Since there was no written rule and Bamboo Peak never had many disciples, most people just let him be.

As for the disciples of Bamboo Peak, Song Daren maintains the highest level of spiritual cultivation in Pure Essence. In his time spent, he had already reached the fifth level of YuQing. Following his lead was the fourth disciples DaZhi who had reached the fourth level. Although he started later than the second and third, he was the wisest and most intelligent of the bunch, and as such he was able to catch up.

The rest of the disciples, second, third, fifth and sixth, were all struggling to overcome the third level of YuQing.

Despite her age, LingEr was extremely intelligent and received careful instruction from her parents since she was a small child. Even though she had only been chopping Black Bamboo for less than three years, she had been practicing Pure Essence for many years. At thirteen, she had already reached the fourth level of YuQing and was known by QingYun as one of the most prodigious members of the new generation. Favored by her parents and elders alike, SuRu had gifted her daughter with the famous defensive Esper "Phoenix Soul" she had crafted.

"Wow… _shijie_ is so smart." Shirou said.

DaRen smiled: "Yes, _shimei_ is very intelligent and very talented when it comes to Pure Essence. Whenever master or _shiniang_ teach her something, she is able to comprehend it very quickly. Her potential is also far greater than ours.

"Right now, she's still young and dislikes practicing, yet, it is still only a matter of time before she becomes more successful than us. The hope of Bamboo Peak lies with her."

His eyes were full of expectation, it is clear that he also put his own faith into LingEr.

"However, Shirou_ shidi_, your potential is even greater than hers. When I felt it the first time, I was in complete disbelief. However, master expects greatness from you, but we understand if you are slow to begin, this is very new to you after all.

"Even though master has high expectations for you, please don't compare yourself to _shimei_. She has already been practicing for many years now. Even if you have a greater potential, she has many years of experience above you."

It was true that he generally felt inferior to LingEr until this point. Whist he had struggled with a single stalk of bamboo, the energetic girl hadn't even broken a sweat. Despite her telling him that he had accomplished something that even she couldn't do, Shirou was unable to see his own prodigious nature. He had such low self-worth.

DaRen saw this during lunch and he had wanted to make sure that Shirou would be able to value his own accomplishment. The boy was very kind and formal, but also still a bit shy and reserved. He hoped that by giving him this speech he would open up more in the future.

After a period of silence, DaRen stood up and said: "That should be it for now. Tai Chi Cave is on the back hill; only disciples with YuQing level three are able to enter and practice. Before that, you must first practice in your room. It is quiet here; master and _shiniang_ will not usually come by, so, work hard."

Coming out of his rapture, Shirou stood up and bowed slightly: "Thank you, Da _shixiong_."

DaRen smiled, ruffled his hair and turned away.

* * *

After DaRen left, Shirou returned to his room and shut the door. There was an indescribable excitement in his heart from learning the verse for the first level of Pure Essence. His tiredness and aches from cutting the Black Bamboo in the morning had subsided long ago.

He took a deep breath, calmed down, and walked slowly to his bed. On top of it, he meditated in the position that DaRen had taught him and then closed his eyes. He remembered the incantation of the first level of YuQing and was ready to practice. However, his heart had thought opposite of his mind. His eyes shot open and said: "That's wrong."

The incantation that DaRen had taught him was the fundamental basis for Pure Essence, a practitioner would only need to focus on the two words 'Obtain Energy'. When a practitioner was meditating, they must cast aside their troubles and clear their mind. From there, they must grasp the energy surrounding them in the earth and sky and draw it into the body. Doing so would bind them to the world and allow them to feel even the most minute changes in nature.

This type of cultivation has been a part of Dao for thousands of years, thus there should be no error on that end. Yet, at that moment, Shirou's mind was like a violent storm.

Everything that he had learned today was completely opposite of the verse that the monk PuZhi had taught him.

Fundamentally, the Dao Pure Essence and Fu Brahman Wisdom could not be any more different. They had originally required the same actions; a practitioner of either one had to meditate and calm their minds. However, Brahman Wisdom required one to cut off their worldly senses and focus towards their inner flame, completely different from Pure Essence where one cut off their sense of self in order to view the world.

Shirou was at an impasse, he didn't understand what to do, the lessons that PuZhi taught him at death's door resounding loudly in his heart.

Dao and Fu both had a long history of never mixing together. Fundamentally, their styles of cultivations came from two distinct lines of thought.

For Dao, all things have both yin and yang energies, the combination of the two ensures a neutral harmony. Dao cultivation focuses on combining the self with the world, using the body to control nature and harness powerful magic. Thunderblade didn't require the practitioner to offer their own bodily energies to fuel the technique, it relied on natural lightning.

But Fu, on the other hand, states that the understanding of one's self if the most important. If one focuses on understanding of themselves, they could find the truth in all things. Shirou thought of PuZhi's techniques, there was nothing natural about them. The golden lights had all come PuZhi's own vigor energy.

Thus, Buddhist and Taoist thought were very different with equally different ways to practice them. But, since people kept their secrets for thousands of years, no one knew any better. Now Emiya Shirou of QingYun's Bamboo Peak was getting a headache about it.

Amidst this headache was another realization; the fundamental verses for both cultivation techniques were not consistent to what he had experienced. It was presumptuous of him, he was but a child and a beginning cultivator. Someone like DaRen had decades of experience and understood the basic incantations perfectly. So why had Shirou felt differently?

Yesterday, when he was practicing Brahman Wisdom, he had the same feeling of wrongness. Although it had boiled down to 'why is this so painful,' it still was inconsistent if not contradicting to the verse that PuZhi had taught him in full.

_'Nor is there pain, or cause of pain, or cease of pain, or noble path to lead from pain.'_

The pain had come when he had grasped his inner flame. According to the Fu scripture, there should have been cause for the pain. If there was no cause for pain, there is not pain Thus, there could be no ceasing of pain for there was never any pain!

It described the energies of the body as peaceful, but Shirou had felt a writhing chaotic mess when he had grasped it last night.

As for Dao, when he had been briefly meditating, he had felt the energy of the world. Both today and last night, he was able to feel the tumultuous energy of nature outside of his own body. Yet, Dao also preached that this energy was conditional depending on the weather and atmospheric conditions. It would be more aggressive during a storm and less so when it was clear.

It was crystal clear last night and the energy was vicious. There wasn't a cloud in the sky today and still the energy writhed. It was opposite of what DaRen had just informed him.

Unknown to Shirou, he had made a rather radical discovery in the spiritual and magical world. Never before had there been a person with such a large innate pool of prana and, as such, no other man has ever run into this problem. Of course, there were disciples in the past and the present who possessed magical circuits, but the age of magecraft had yet to arrive and deliver these concepts to the selected few. Thus, these circuits usually went underutilized and forgotten.

Yet, in this age of enlightenment, each person was born with a certain affinity to magic; humanity had yet to fall from the height of its power. When the Fu disciples begin to cultivate, they attempt to find the bit of magical potential they were born with in their bodies. Naturally, the higher the magical potential, the greater the rate of progression for this step. It was one of the more obvious reasons that one's potential was coveted at least in the Buddhist sects.

Thus, in terms of magic, the Fu usually trained with very efficient spells. Through their intense cultivation and training, they learn to best utilize the spark of magical power that they were granted. If someone possessed more spiritual potential, then there were able to perform more consecutive techniques. In this sense, the Fu sects do not hinder the growth of those with low magical capabilities.

However, Shirou possessed a gargantuan amount of prana, so much so that it overwrote whatever pitiful spiritual potential that his body was gifted. Usually, if a Fu practitioner had magical circuits, they were of poor quality and low quantity and thus the body's own magical power would not eclipse the boon they were granted at birth. These two energies were the same except one was generated via a special organ – magical circuits – and the other by a gift from the heavens.

Therefore, by using his magical circuits to provide the prana for Fu techniques and magic, Shirou would effectively have an unlimited pool of energy to execute these magics if he learned them.

Unfortunately, his teacher, the Fu monk PuZhi, was dead.

The Dao used this innate gift of magic very differently from the Fu practitioners. Instead of trying to harness the energy of their inbuilt potential, they used their magical power to attract ambient mana into their spiritual cores. Normally, the magical energy of the world would be more than willing that enter a vessel that allowed it to. Thus, spiritual potential was very important in Dao cultivation as it affect out quickly one could accumulate and convert the natural mana.

This was fine conceptually, but the practice broke when anomalies like Emiya Shirou show up.

Like all other things, magical energy flowed from denser regions to less restrictive areas. Normally, a Dao disciple did not have enough magical power for this to be an issue and, as such, the natural mana would gratefully flow from the outside world into their body. They would then convert this natural mana into the type of prana they needed for their techniques.

This was why one's potential was so important. If one's potential was great, then they would be able to fire off technique after technique. If it was too low, they would have to gather energy for a very long time.

However, Shirou simply had too much magical power in his body as it was and it would take considerable effort to force the ambient mana of the world to enter his body. The magical energy contained within the child's core was far denser than that of the worlds. It was not impossible, however, but Shirou would have to find a method to reduce his magical potential or at least spread it across his body to reduce its potency.

Alas, these processes and potential futures were unknown to the child who was still struggling to identify which one of the cultivation techniques was right and worth studying.

Shirou was sitting on his bed in the same position ever since the shocking revelation. No matter what he thought, he couldn't see a reason why one cultivating technique would be superior to the other. It was even harder to identify why both cultivating techniques did not agree with him and were inconsistent with what he was told.

In the very end, Shirou simply gave up. His mind was turning itself into mush from all of the hard-philosophical questions he was asking himself.

"Master PuZhi didn't tell me I couldn't practice both… I'll just do that; that'll solve the issue."

With this grand conclusion, the entire moral and philosophical debate was answered with indifference.

Shirou then walked around for a bit to stretch his stationary limbs. He then returned to the bed and began to practice Pure Essence.

DaRen said that the step was not very difficult, but actually practicing it now it was quite the opposite. Pure Essence stated that one had to open oneself to nature and let the spirit within the earth and sky enter the body. Unfortunately for Shirou, whenever he opened up his body to allow the natural mana to enter, his prana would gush out instead.

Nevertheless, Shirou was very stubborn.

He kept on trying to perform the first step in Pure Essence, however, each time he opened himself to nature, his prana burst from his body. Over the multiple attempts, the bursts became less violent and vigorous and had slowly started to fizzle and lose their power. It was becoming easier to identify the natural mana around him and he could feel that each attempt was meeting greater success than the last.

It was at this time that he accidentally peered into his own body in the method that Brahman Wisdom told him and saw that the inner flame that represented his magical power was considerably smaller and less chaotic.

Shirou's mind was very inquisitive and shrewd for a child and he was able to link the two phenomena. He would attempt to draw in natural mana via using Pure Essence and then retreating into his own body using Brahman Wisdom to monitor the flame. He noticed that as his inner flame grew smaller and more orderly, the easier it was to drag mana from the atmosphere.

Thus, he tried something different. He tried to combine both of the concepts.

The density of the magic within his core was too great. He would try to distribute it from its source.

By using Brahman Wisdom, he was able to monitor and manipulate the inner flame of his body. Thus, he slowly willed it to stretch farther into his body instead of staying confined to one area. He pushed the magical energy into his limbs where there was only empty space and urged it to spread out as evenly as possible. Of course, he was not successful his first time. When he had finally felt that he had succeeded at molding his magical energy as such, the sun had already set.

Then came the difficult part of this task. He would have to retain this same feeling and distribution of magical energy without Brahman Wisdom. To spread his energy across him limbs in such a manner would be utterly useless if it didn't allow for him to obtain the energy of the world.

His mind was set and focused on the task before him. Slowly, he retreated from the breathing techniques and posture associated with Brahman Wisdom and motioned to enter Pure Essence. He had diligently kept the same warm feeling of his magical energy spread across his limbs like he had while performing the Fu meditation.

His breathing settled and he entered deep meditation; he opened his body to the natural mana of the world.

'Urk?'

An intense pain overcame his body as it was bombarded with the ambient mana. Since one's magical potential was indicative of how much energy would be drawn at once, Shirou had invited a tidal flow of power into his small frame. His magical circuits were flooded with far too much energy and were saturated with power that couldn't be used.

"Shirou _shidi_!"

He felt two fingers poke his forehead and a cool relaxing sensation replaced the pain his body was going through. He opened his eyes and saw it was DaRen who had touched him. His _shixiong's_ eyes were very concerned with a hint of pride.

"Shirou_ shidi_, are you alright?"

Shirou could only tiredly nod and give a small smile to DaRen. The large man let out a sigh of relief.

"_Shidi_, you scared me half to death when I came in. I knocked and stood at your door for a minute but you didn't respond. I let myself in and I found you in a cold sweat with your eyes crunched in pain again!"

Shirou couldn't only look down at his bed. He had unintentionally made the person who had taken the greatest care for him so far worry needlessly.

"Da _shixiong_, this disciple is very sorry."

In a rare show of informality, DaRen waved off his apology: "That doesn't matter, _shidi_. You are alright and still healthy."

The large man was now smiling: "When I came in however, you had a blue glow around your body. I imagine that you've had some success?"

Shirou nodded: "Yes, _shixiong_, it was just as you said. It was very difficult at first, but I persevered and I eventually found success."

However, Shirou wondered why his successes were always so painful.

DaRen laughed and patted Shirou's head, ruffling his hair: "_Shidi_, at least there was success to compensate for your pain!"

"_Shixiong_, why were you waiting outside my door?"

DaRen raised an eyebrow: "_Shidi_, you must have been very focused on your cultivation to not realize the time."

The first disciple pointed to the window.

"The sun had set long ago; do you not realize how dark it is?"

Shirou could only blush at his inattention.

Seeing his face light up from the moonlight, DaRen could only smile: "Come on,_ shidi_, let's go to dinner."

Shirou smiled and got up from his meditative position. He unfurled his limbs and quickly…

Fell to the wooden floor when he left the bed. His legs were numb having held the same position for hours. DaRen could only wince in pity as the boy made a moan of pain.

"_Shidi_, take you time… I'll wait for you outside."

* * *

After the rather embarrassing end to the heartwarming display, Shirou had collected himself and left the room. Together with DaRen, the two made their way towards the dining hall for dinner. They had arrived rather early, BiShu was still setting up the table with food and bowls.

Once, he was done setting up the table, BiShu washed his hands and returned to the table and sat in his seat, waiting for Tian BuYi to arrive so that they could eat. He smiled at Shirou next to him and couldn't help but make conversation.

"Shirou _shidi_, how was your first day of cultivation practice; Nothing too stressful I hope?"

Shirou lightly shook his head: "Sixth _shixiong_, my day was fine. Thanks to Da _shixiong_, I was able to learn the basics of Dao cultivation."

From the other end of the table DaRen laughed: "Shirou _shidi , _you are far too modest and gentle!"

Fifth disciple DaXin asked: "Hoh? First, what do you mean by that?"

DaRen only smiled and gestured towards Shirou at the other end of them table: "It isn't my place to say, ask our little _shidi_ himself."

Third disciple DaLi was intrigued: "Yes, please tell us _shidi_, what did you do today that has made this formal and stiff first so excited?"

There was a round of laughter as DaRen grumbled to himself.

Shirou shook his head again: "Third _shixiong_, I didn't do anything remarkable today. I had just started Dao cultivation."

DaRen only rolled his eyes: "Shirou _shidi_, do not sell yourself short. When I came to get _shidi_ for dinner, I was standing at his door for an entire minute! I had thought this _shidi_ had already forgotten about his first _shixiong_."

The dramatic tone was unlike DaRen, it was rare for him to be informal. There were a few chuckles from the other disciples.

"But, when I allowed myself in the room, I saw _shidi_ hard at work practicing Dao cultivation. Why, I saw _shidi_ had already opened himself up and allowed the natural energy in! There was too much energy in his body so I had to disperse it for him!"

There was silence at the table.

"WHAT!" Shouted the disciples.

"Shirou, is what DaRen said true?" An excited voice came from the entrance of the dining hall.

"Ahh, Master is here!" DaRen shouted.

Immediately, the rest of the disciples, including Shirou, stood up from their seats. Tian BuYi had arrived with both SuRu and LingEr for dinner today.

Tian BuYi coughed in his hand once: "First, is what you said true?"

DaRen nodded, formality returning: "Responding to master: when this disciple went to go get seventh _shidi_ for dinner, he saw him deep in practice. I had to release the accumulating energy from _shidi's_ body, I fear that he had gathered too much at once."

There was a squeal of excitement from LingEr. She had left Tian BuYi's side and gave Shirou a congratulatory embrace. The boy's face grew pink from the act.

"Shirou is really talented… To chop down Black Bamboo and to make progress in Pure Essence on the first day. You're going to make this _shijie_ jealous."

Shirou was quickly growing embarrassed from both the contact and praise. He muttered: "It's nothing special…"

Hearing this, LingEr's eyes twinkled in mischief: "Could it be that you're trying to impress your _shijie_?"

Shirou's embarrassment increased tenfold when he heard the rest of the disciples laugh. SuRu sent him a curious look.

BiShu beside him jested: "_Shixiongs_, you see! This old sixth thinks the future of Bamboo Peak will be bright for many generations to come!"

Tian BuYi could only pinch his nose at his sixth's disciple's joke. The two were only children. Letting out a sigh he beckoned to his daughter: "LingEr, come, that's enough. Let _shidi_ breathe."

"Yes, dad." LingEr giggled to herself and removed herself from Shirou.

The Tian BuYi family sat down in their seat opposite of the disciples. Tian BuYi waved his hand: "Eat."

Dinner was a very jovial affair.

Tian BuYi had a small smile on his face the entire time.

* * *

After dinner had concluded, each of the members of Bamboo Peak bid each other goodnight and went about their own business.

The Tian BuYi family had returned to the Hall of Quietude. LingEr had been energetic with her farewell to Shirou and told him to wake up earlier the next day to go chop Black Bamboo together. The rest of the disciples had chuckled at their seventh _shidi's_ expense, but quickly retired to their rooms for their own hobbies. Only BiShu was still out, washing the dishes from dinner.

Shirou himself was no exception. He had walked with the fifth disciple DaXin until they stopped in front of DaXin's room. They bid each other goodnight and Shirou finished the walk back towards his own room alone. The room he stayed in was still the farthest away.

Rather than retire to his room, Shirou had opted to stay in the courtyard. The sounds of nature were soothing and the night mountain air was very crisp and refreshing. He didn't know if anyone would come visit, the night was still rather young, so he opted to practice his Dao cultivation again. Surrounded by the calming atmosphere, he found it easy to slip into the meditative trance once more.

His magical energy had recovered significantly from before. When he used Brahman Wisdom to visualize his energy, it was wild and roaring with life. Thus, he performed the same steps that he had the last time, though, he had much more prana in his circuits this time. Still using the Fu technique, he tried to distribute the flame to the empty spaces in his body, allowing the magical energy to weave itself in.

With the same precision and diligence from before, he entered the position needed for Pure Essence and began to lose himself in the trance. This time, he remembered DaRen's words from dinner. The reason why he was in such pain from before was that he had absorbed too much mana form the world and that his body was bursting with magical power. He made sure that his prana was still distributed equally and he lost himself in the meditative trance.

This time, when he felt the energy of the world, he didn't open himself up completely to its embrace. Rather, he only allowed a small portion of his being to accept the energy, making sure to keep the influx of mana consistent and manageable. However, he realized that eventually, the ambient mana had filled up the space where his own magical energy would normally reside, he could not take in anymore.

Shirou noticed the phenomenon with a frown. It was rather shameful that he had to rely on Brahman Wisdom in order to perform Pure Essence. He was sure that the other disciples didn't require that additional step. He felt that their cheers and jubilation from his achievement were not warranted. He hadn't done anything special to deserve it, he merely cheated using another technique.

He was also unaware that he had to do something akin to rudimentary Reinforcement in order to do so.

Nevertheless, having to use the Fu technique to monitor and spread his magical energy across his body every time was rather tiring and difficult. He wondered if such a practice was sustainable in the future.

Currently, he was only at Pure Essence YuQing's first level, the easiest out of all Dao cultivations. Would he be able to use Brahman Wisdom to help him cultivate the second level? The third? Was this really considered Dao cultivation if he was using a Fu technique to assist him? Shaking his head slightly, he resolved to learn how to absorb the ambient energy that Pure Essence detailed without relying on Brahman Wisdom's teachings.

As such, he began right away. The night was still young and he could vaguely hear voices in the distance. The disciples were still awake and he couldn't practice PuZhi's scriptures as a result. His face frowned in concentration as he took the position for Pure Essence once more. This time, he tried to remember the same warm sensation of his magical energy flooding the spaces in his body.

Almost languidly, the magical energy responded. Although it was very bountiful, Shirou had next to no control over the prana. It was only with the assistance of the Fu teachings that he was able to manipulate it to such a high degree initially. Now, without the crutch assisting him, he felt that the difficulty had increased tenfold from before. The prana simply didn't want to respond.

Eventually, he had coaxed his magic to fill his limbs. It didn't feel the same as before. The distribution was off, his arms contained more prana than his legs and certain segments were more densely packed than others. Yet, despite this, he was still satisfied. There was at least a hint of progress today at distributing his magic. He would of course need to make it faster and more even, but that would come with practice.

He attempted to absorb the ambient mana with his crude imitation of Reinforcement, but was unable to do so. It didn't surprise him; he didn't expect it to work. Relaxing his body, he felt his prana return to where it had come from; the mana he absorbed made up for the energy he had lost prior.

Letting out a deep sigh, he repeated the same process over again. Neither his body nor mind were tired; if he were to go to sleep now, he would only dream of Grasstemple.

* * *

Several hours passed since Shirou had started to practice Dao in the courtyard. By now, the disciples had all turned to their beds and were fast asleep. The moon was full and bright in the night sky, equally clear as yesterday.

Shirou, after meticulously practicing his new method of Dao cultivation, was only met with disappointing results. He identified that he simply needed more practice to do what Brahman Wisdom had provided for him. Satisfied with the amount of time devoted to practicing Pure Essence, he rose from his meditative position and shook his limbs awake. He wouldn't make the same mistake a third time and fall on his face again.

His body was still not tired and his mind not tired enough to fall into dreamless sleep. He remembered the path towards the bamboo forest on the back hill. LingEr had traveled the entire distance swiftly and without even sweating. He on the other hand had sore limbs and was slightly tired from the hour long walk on the mountainous terrain.

LingEr had told him that, in cultivation, the body was of utmost importance. Thus, he resolved to train his body.

He closed the panel door connecting the courtyard and the hallways of the disciples' house. DaRen had told him when he first arrived that animals rarely came to Bamboo Peak. The only one that he encountered so far was DaHuang and he was Tian BuYi's. He had not seen a single other animal the entire two days he had been at the peak.

Feeling he would be safe, Shirou made his way outside the disciples' house and then past the Hall of Quietude. The moon in the sky provided enough light to illuminate the trail to the bamboo forest. He didn't bring the machete, if he attempted to cut bamboo at this hour, he would most likely pass out in the forest until dawn.

So, he ran along the mountain path in order to build his stamina. He ran until his lungs begged him to take a break. He would pause briefly and make his way towards the bamboo forest with the same speed as before.

It had still taken him the better part of an hour to arrive at the clearing. He didn't bother to go further inside; it was too dark and he feared that he might have gotten lost if he did. Bending over, he placed his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

In the clearing, Shirou was fully out of sight of any prying eyes. Here, he was free to practice Brahman Wisdom without anyone catching him. He sat down on the grass in the lotus position and began to breath as PuZhi had taught him.

Shirou was used to this process now. His practice with Pure Essence had at the same time supplemented his practice of Brahman Wisdom first verse. However, he did not feel like he was adequate enough with it. For him to advance to the second verse, he must calm down the chaotic prana within him, pacify it such that it was quiet – _'The world is but noise; only the self is quiet.'_

As such, he mentally tugged on his magic much like the day prior when he first started his practice. This time, there was no pain, rather, his magic was warm to the touch and soothing. However, it was still chaotic, bundled into a small container and forced to stay within.

When he made this connection, he finally understood how to pacify the energy.

It was quite ironic. At noon, he had made the realization that Dao and Fu could not be more different. Their fundamental concepts were incompatible with each other. Yet, despite this quality, the method he would use to advance both cultivations were identical.

His energy was not meant to be contained in a singular location. The power was writing around and chaotic because it wished to be freed. Thus, Shirou used the same approach as he did for Pure Essence. He concentrated and attempted to redistribute his prana to various parts of his body.

Yet, despite performing the act, he noticed that the energy was still not peaceful and content. While his prana was most definitely less chaotic than prior, it still had some fluctuations. It was then that Shirou realized that the distribution of his magical energy had to be perfect. There could be no gradient or changes in prana density. It was a daunting task.

Tian BuYi's words echoed in his mind: '_Persevere and you will succeed.'_ While he doubted that his master had meant it for Fu cultivation, the idea still applied. Shirou would persist and practice. Eventually, with his stubbornness, he would find a way.

In that clearing, Shirou practiced for the next few hours. When his mind was exhausted, he ran back towards the Hall of Quietude and then to his room.

Body and mind both exhausted and depleted, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Shirou went with LingEr each morning to cut bamboo.

The girl would always greet him energetically with a hint of mischievousness. She enjoyed teasing her _shidi_, as she put it – 'his blushing face is adorable.'

Normal disciples would be able to chop down the Black Bamboo after three months of practicing Pure Essence. However, it wasn't entirely dependent on one's level of cultivation. Sixth disciple BiShu had taken an entire year to chop his first bamboo; his body was weak from malnutrition before he had arrived at Bamboo Peak. Tian BuYi was still rather cross at it, but more so at the unfortunate circumstances than his sixth disciple.

Shirou, having chopped down the bamboo on the first day, only grew stronger each day. The first three months, he had kept to what DaRen had told him; a single chute would suffice. Afterwards, he began to cut more and more of the plants, and, after a year, he was able to cut down four in the time it used to take him to cut one. The hard work helped strengthen his arms and upper body and the journey to the forest trained his legs.

At night, he continued to wait for his _shixiongs_ to fall asleep before running to the bamboo clearing to practice Brahman Wisdom. The constant running improved his stamina by leaps and bounds, he no longer tired or sweated when walking to do his daily homework of Black Bamboo.

Practicing Brahman Wisdom was met with success. Originally, it was rather frustrating, but, remembering PuZhi's kind face and Tian BuYi's words, he calmed himself during those times. Eventually, he had reached a critical point in his advancement of the Fu cultivation.

Beforehand, he had only shifted his magical energy around his body. He had discovered additional empty spaces that he could fill with prana that he had not seen before. Prior to the revelation, he had only pushed his energy in between major components. He filled the gap between his organs, between bones and muscles. Later, he realized that he could actually fill in the individual components themselves.

Of course, the pores in these structures were very small and numerous. He remembered what had happened when he had absorbed too much mana from nature his first excursion into Dao cultivation. From there, he was shrewd enough to extrapolate pushing too much prana into them would be quite painful or deadly.

As a result, he meticulously went about injecting his magical energy into these pores. The first day he had done this, he had only managed to fill in the gaps in a single finger before his mind felt exhausted and he ventured back to his room. As time went on, it gradually grew easier and quicker. He was still very meticulous in his practice, the painful reminder always in his mind.

Practicing Pure Essence by day, training his body and Brahman Wisdom at night. Five years passed by in a flash.

During these years, Shirou had made himself into one of the most promising members of the new generation. In three months, he had completed YuQing's first level - open oneself to nature, absorb mana and meditate thirty-six times in a row – in just a fourth of the time a normal disciple would be able to.

Tian BuYi was very happy that day and personally gave Shirou the incantation for the YuQing's second level – "convert energy." Unknown to the other residents of Bamboo Peak, with Shirou also practicing Brahman Wisdom, he found the second level as easy as the first. Within another three months, he had also mastered the second level.

He remembered when he hesitatingly announced it at dinner, all of the Bamboo Peak disciples were speechless. LingEr had broken everyone out of their shock by hugging him once more, causing a round of teasing and laughter. He remembered DaRen throwing him in the air a couple of times.

Tian BuYi had a large smile that day; his eyes were filled with pride.

Now, he felt that he would break past the YuQing's third level any day.

His advancements with Brahman Wisdom were far less prodigious. In this time, he had gotten better at filling the small empty spaces in his body, but regardless of how many he filled, his body still had too much prana to control. Thus, he was in a cycle of constantly learning to fill smaller and smaller gaps in his body's structure.

Yet, all of this practice came with an unexpected boon.

While the Fu teachings stated that the body's energy was restricted to the body, Shirou once again found that false. During one of his training sessions, his back had made contact with a stalk of bamboo. From there, he could feel the structure and gaps in the plant as if it were his own body. Such a shock caused his eyes to snap open and widen in surprise.

Of course, in his surprise, he didn't regulate the influx of energy to the poor plant and had caused it to explode. Shirou winced as he was once again reminded of the potential danger or death if he lost focus.

Some idle part of his mind wondered if cultivation should have been this difficult or deadly.

He had immediately gone to another stalk of bamboo. With all the practice he had with Brahman Wisdom, his control of prana was excellent, and so, he injected his magical energy into the Black Bamboo. Two things happened in that moment, he, for some reason, had seen the lifespan of the plant within an instant and was also able to see the gaps in its structure.

He later learned that he could distinguish between the two effects depending on his intentions. When he had discovered that, he was excited and began to take in the history of almost everything that he touched, but, after a few embarrassing incidents, he quickly stopped. Little did he know that he had successfully recreated both Structural Grasping and Reinforcement using only his own experiences and mind.

Over the five years, Shirou had reached the age of sixteen. Due to him cutting the Black Bamboo daily and training nightly, his body had become strong and sturdy – rather appealing if he listened to LingEr. The small boy that had arrived at Bamboo Peak was replaced with a tall young man.

Even though LingEr was two years older than Shirou, she only reached his eyes now. She had turned eighteen from thirteen and had blossomed into a beautiful woman. Throughout QingYun, she was known for her beauty. Her mild sadistic streak didn't frighten off any suitors, already Tian BuYi was exhausted with male disciples from other houses trying for her hand.

LingEr often felt as though the other six _shixiongs_ were much older than here as she told Shirou that day in the bamboo forest. Though she had grown up with both her parents and shixiongs' favor, she was still a lonely child. She liked to stay with her _shidi_ most of the time, and, in those five years, they had grown much closer together.

Despite Shirou's growth, she still remained stronger than him and always beat him in spars to test his cultivation. Even though she enjoyed teasing her _shidi_, she was also the first to defend him against any of the other _shixiong's_ jests. The two had grown inseparable.

At some point, Shirou had gifted LingEr a hairpin made of bamboo for when they celebrated one of her birthdays. It was made from a very young chute so it was still a vibrant green and matched her eyes. He carved it for her one day when he was practicing Reinforcement with the machete; he used the sharpness to shape it easier.

The girl was beyond happy and hugged him tightly. The other disciples all cheered and laughed. Seeing LingEr's smiling face that day made him blush.

Life in the mountain was quiet and boring. Every day followed the same routine. Shirou had asked both Tian BuYi and DaRen about any news about the Grasstemple Village Massacre. However, they always replied and said that no clues had been found in the investigation.

Eventually, Shirou's heart had finally calmed.

* * *

This morning, Shirou rose from his bed as usual and walked towards the mountain alone. The other residents of Bamboo Peak didn't usually wake this early, after all, only the very first rays of dawn illuminated the sky.

He had completed the daily chopping of Black Bamboo two years ago and LingEr had done the same two years prior to that. However, he still enjoyed going to the mountain to practice his cultivation. While he could also go to the Tai Chi cave and work there now that he was on YuQing's third level, he still preferred the crisp mountain air to the damp cave.

That and he could also practice Brahman Wisdom and his own magic, which he took to calling Structural Grasping and Reinforcement.

Most of the time, LingEr would join him and together, they would go to the bamboo clearing. His beautiful _shijie_ had grown quite attached to him these days. She often founds excuses to talk with him or go where he was going. Her emerald eyes always seemed to sparkle, brighten with life, when she looked at him. It was quite confusing to the dense boy.

Today, there was no sign of LingEr, most likely she was feeling tired from her mother's training session the day prior. With QingYun's Seven Peaks Tournament coming up in two years, SuRu was even more enthusiastic in assisting the Tian BuYi disciples with their cultivation.

Shirou still felt the phantom pains from her last instruction.

In addition, SuRu encouraged the disciples to help each other with training in martial arts via sparring. The tournament wouldn't determine the most spiritual member but rather the one with the best combat prowess. Most of the disciples paired off with one another. LingEr had stuck close to Shirou and sparred with him every morning that she came here with him.

Today, without LingEr, he would focus more on his magic than Pure Essence.

When the sun finished rising, Shirou had returned to the familiar bamboo clearing. The whole mountain was covered with green. Whenever the wind blew, the sea of bamboo would wave up and down, just like the ocean waves. It was a spectacular, peaceful sight.

He took a deep breath and stretched his body and then ventured into the deeper parts of the forest. The bamboo in the deeper portions of the forest were larger and much tougher. He kept a few of the ones he had cut down years ago here to help train his magic.

The light of the early morning floated around in the forest like a soft veil. The morning dew was beautifully crystal clear on the bamboo leaves on both sides of the trail.

He strolled for a while in the green ocean until he arrived at the spot where he now frequented for training. Most of the Black Bamboos here were tall and lush, rushing straight into the sky. Light flickered down between the gaps in the leaves, leaving the shadows of leaves on the ground. It was a very peaceful place, perfect for training or cultivation.

There was pile of Black Bamboo on the ground of the clearing. About hundred or so pieces, all leftovers from Shirou's homework years ago, neatly piled. Each piece was about the length of his arm and as thick as a wrist. He grabbed one of the pieces of bamboo from the pile, closed his eyes, and began to fill it with his magical energy.

Once he felt that he had done a sufficient job at reinforcing the stick in his hand, he walked over to one of the live stalks. The bamboo here was very thick, about as wide as his thigh, and would be a good test to see how far he had processed. He took the stick in his hand and swung it at the stalk of Black Bamboo.

There was a resounding crack through the mountainside. If birds ever came up here, they would have most assuredly flown away. Where the stick made contact was a rather large dent in the poor bamboo. Shirou looked at the stick itself and noticed it had no blemishes. Nodding in satisfaction, he threw the bamboo next to the pile and went about his next task.

He had found out at some point that if he had put too much magical energy into an object with his Reinforcement it would shatter. He winced, remembering the night he discovered the technique and the innocent bamboo that had touched him. Additionally, even if he didn't absolutely flood an object with his energy, it would still turn brittle if he supplied too much. If he supplied too little, there would be no discernable effect. Such a delicate equilibrium.

Years of practice had made him confident. Filling his right arm with prana, he imagined the energy flowing through the limb, filling the empty spaces and making it stronger. Erring on the side of caution, he did this process meticulously, ensuring that there would be next to no mistakes. At least it was faster than when he started; if he tried the same thing back then he might have died of starvation from how long it would have taken.

When he had finished reinforcing the limb, his eyes snapped open and he quickly punched the Black Bamboo in front of him.

His fist had plowed through the steel like plant without a hint of effort, the force behind the punch punctured the stalk. Already weakened from the dent earlier, the top portion had snapped off cleanly and flown back a few feet, smacking into another stalk.

A small smile made its way onto Shirou's face. He dismissed the prana flooding his arm and turned around.

"Creak, creak?"

There was a grey monkey behind him, watching him curiously.

Shirou was surprised. In all of his five years at Bamboo Peak, he had yet to discover a single animal with the exception of DaHuang. Also, how had this monkey snuck up on him? He couldn't have possibly been that engrossed in his training.

The monkey only continued to look at him with interest, it seemed content to just stand there and watch him.

Shirou, now ignoring the strange creature, continued to train. The monkey watched him the entire time.

* * *

"Shirou!"

LingEr greeted him happily when he returned from the mountainside. She had a radiant smile on her face. The hairpin he had given her two years ago stuck in her long hair.

"Ahh, LingEr _shijie_. How are you today?"

The girl ran towards him, closing the distance between the two in a matter of seconds. Her eyes sparkled and the dimples that appeared on her cheeks made her more beautiful.

"Mou… I told you, just LingEr is fine." She pouted and grabbed his arm. For five years now she has tried to get Shirou to drop his formality.

"And I told you, it feels improper." For five years now, he has rejected that notion.

The two shared a comfortable silence as they walked back towards the Hall of Quietude.

"Mom wants me to train more in Tai Chi Cave to be prepared for the Seven Peak Tournament in two years… She told me that you should do so as well; Already advancing to YuQing level three, we're all impressed." LingEr's voice was strangely reserved unlike her usual self.

Shirou shook his head: "She does know that I still go there after lunch."

LingEr, back to her usual self, rolled her eyes: "You know what I mean. I'm sure you know how much she adores you."

True enough, SuRu is very invested in Shirou's growth. While the other disciples all balk and cower in fear at her training, Shirou is able to take it without any complaints. She was very impressed with his willpower – pain tolerance – and took to him quickly afterwards.

However, only four people are allowed to go to the Seven Peaks Tournament and SuRu's competitive spirit was renewed each day with the competition fast approaching. Whereas in the earlier years she would devote much of her time to guiding him and assisting in his training – much to the relief of the other disciples – she had other motivations now.

The four people that Bamboo Peak would send to the tournament were first disciple DaRen, second disciple DaYi, fourth disciple DaZhi and, of course, LingEr. SuRu had been busy training the four in Tai Chi Cave every day after lunch for the past few months.

Shirou sighed: "It really isn't a problem, LingEr." There wasn't any sadness in his voice, only understanding.

"You know how competitive she is…"

"I understand, she has to prepare _shixiongs_ for the upcoming tournament. They're all farther along in cultivation than I am. I can only work hard to make her proud when this is over."

There was a moment of silence before LingEr started to giggle.

"You are getting rather bold, Shirou. Perhaps this _shijie_ needs to test your cultivation again?"

Shirou's face quickly paled; the last time she had done so had left him with phantom pains for weeks!

"LingEr, I don't think that's necessary…"

The beautiful girl simply laughed at him: "Shirou, you know I'm just teasing. Your face is so cute when you're scared!"

'This girl will be the death of me.'

LingEr's face grew serious: "Seriously though, Mom told me to test you again."

Shirou let out a sigh of despair, he would be feeling those phantom pains again.

* * *

The next day, LingEr was waiting for Shirou when he woke up. Together, they walked towards the mountainside and to the bamboo forest. Shirou was a bit despondent, but ultimately accepted that he would be in pain today.

He thought back to their brief conversation yesterday. It was true that he did spend quite a bit of time alone these days, but that wasn't to say he disliked his _shixiongs_. He truly did work better in the bamboo clearing than inside the Tai Chi cave. The other disciples understood and even agreed that the cave air was damp and stale, but felt that it was better to cultivate there for them. He still went there after lunch when it was the official time for training, but he preferred the clearing in the mornings.

Tian BuYi had just snorted in amusement and let him be.

Occasionally, SuRu sent LingEr to test how far along Shirou was coming with his studies. With the beautiful _shiniang_ usually too busy training the disciples participating in the Seven Peak Tournament, she relied on her daughter to help her. Yet, her mornings were usually spent furthering own her cultivation but were otherwise free. Perhaps, she could have used a single one to test her favored pupil herself.

She would most definitely deny that she was lazy. The time that he woke up at was unnatural!

LingEr was more than happy to spend time with him and, thus, was more than willing to help out. At these times, Shirou was glad that she at least knew how to hold herself back better than her mother. He occasionally heard the pained shouts of his _shixiongs_ when SuRu decided to guide them from the bamboo clearing.

His body shivered instinctively.

After a while, the two had made it back to the bamboo clearing. They shared a companionable silence as they ventured deeper into the forest, towards where Shirou usually trained.

Strangely enough, the grey monkey from the last day was already there as if expecting them. It was staring at the two expectantly.

LingEr looked at Shirou, a confused expression on her face. The boy just shrugged, not really knowing how to respond.

Shirou went up to pick up a stick of bamboo. It wouldn't really be used to attack LingEr, rather, he had to defend himself somehow.

LingEr had unraveled Phoenix Soul from her waist, the red silk of the Esper fluttering in the morning breeze.

When SuRu asked LingEr to test him, it usually translated to 'beat into utter submission.' Thus, she would use her Esper in order to conjure spells to throw at him.

Letting out a deep sigh, his eyes sharpened and focused: "I'm ready, LingEr _shijie_."

The girl gave Shirou a small smile before her face became stoic and serious.

The tension in the air was thick, each one of them content on waiting for the other to move. Shirou knew that he would be fighting a defensive battle, and LingEr knew that her Esper was defensive in nature and more suited for defending and counterattacking.

Thus, the two stared at each other intensely in utter silence.

"Creak, creak!"

The gray monkey from earlier had broken the silence and accumulated tension. Faster than any of the two were expecting, it leapt from the spot it was watching the two towards LingEr.

The girl's emerald eyes widened in shock. The monkey landed on her head briefly and then took off to the bamboo shoots, climbing to the top and hanging off of the plant with its tail. Mildly annoyed by the animal, she fixed her hair that it had upset. Yet, as she felt around her head, her eyes widened in alarm.

This shitty monkey had stolen her hair pin!

Glancing at the thief, she could see it holding the bamboo pin with his hands. It seemed curious at what the object was.

Hot anger filled her veins at the sight, she said: "Shirou."

The boy gulped, never having seen LingEr this mad: "Yes?"

"Catch that monkey."

* * *

Around her, Phoenix Soul seemed to shine. LingEr jumped into the air and the Esper that had floated previously around her appeared under her feet, magnitudes larger than before. Her feet rested on the golden centerpiece and red silk billowed around her.

Suddenly, A red shadow flashed upwards towards the bamboo. LingEr flew towards the monkey, fast as lightning, five fingers outstretched into a claw as she tried to grab the monkey.

Yet, the gray monkey was very smart. Its eyes caught that something was coming and had immediately reacted. It released its tail, which was wrapped around the bamboo, and let its body fall to the forest floor. LingEr had expected that the creature would move, but didn't think that it would fall. She couldn't feel startled and even angrier as her hand only caught empty air.

Shirou was ready to move and catch it when it fell, but the monkey opened its arms in mid-air and immediately grabbed the bamboo next to it. It seemed intelligent enough to realize that the lady in red at the top was very powerful and very angry, so it didn't hesitate to stay around. Instead, it swung from chute to chute and sought to escape.

Realizing the thief was getting away, LingEr's beautiful face snarled: "Hurry!" Her left hand pointed towards the direction the monkey escaped to. Phoenix Soul pierced through the air in pursuit. Shirou began to run along the ground and followed suit.

In an open area, LingEr could have caught the gray monkey in a second with Phoenix Soul, but it was using the thick bamboo forest to obstruct her. LingEr had to watch both the monkey and the bamboo at the same time. The animal was also very intelligent, never running in one direction. It swung erratically, left and right, and kept turning, its only goal to escape the red lady.

As for Shirou, he could only run along the ground, powerless to help.

Thus, two people chased after a running monkey. With the sounds of the grey monkey's 'creak, creak' screaming, the chase seemed to last an eternity.

The green bamboo forest seemed endless. Suddenly, Shirou saw a gray figure drop from above and fall straight down. Seeing an opportunity, he used all of his strength to rush forwards.

LingEr suddently shouted from above: "Be Careful!"

In front of Shirou, a cliff suddenly appeared. He came to a quick stop, almost falling over the edge. He calmed his mind and was surprised to see a deep abyss at the bottom of the cliff. Far into the valley, there was a hazy fog obscuring much of the view. Near the edge of the cliff, there was no longer any Black Bamboo, but a variety of wild trees, mostly pine. It seemed that they had reach the abyss behind the mountain.

Shirou saw the gray monkey falling down and, using the same tricks from before, swung from branch to branch in mid-air, reducing the force of the fall and escaping.

A piercing wind came. He raised his head and saw LingEr flying towards him. She held out her hand and cried: "Get on!"

Shirou reached out and grabbed her hand without hesitation. LingEr pulled hard to get him onto Phoenix Soul. The Esper sank a little, but rose right back to normal again.

Shirou had never experienced flight before and didn't know what to do. LingEr pulled him behind her back and quickly said: "Hold my waist, hurry."

He did as she said and LingEr's cheeks grew slightly pink. As soon as he was ready, Phoenix Soul shot straight into the valley and chased after the monkey.

The wind was blowing hard next to Shirou's ears. He could hardly keep his eyes open from the turbulence. The Phoenix Soul under his feet also seemed soft, yet firm, and made him feel like he could fall off at any moment.

Though LingEr's mind was focused on catching the monkey in front, she couldn't just ignore the arms wrapped around her, especially when they tightened around her waist. On any other day, it would be a dream come true. Even though she had initially been attracted to the boy behind her out of loneliness, in the five years that they had spent together it had turned into something else.

When she had asked her mother, she only got a knowing look in response.

Yet, despite her anger from the thief she was chasing, there was some happiness that bloomed in her heart. She would savor the feeling while she could. Ever since she was a child, she had always been favored by her parents and _shixiongs,_ and had become a little spoiled. However, mountain life was very simple and she never got many gifts. She was simply used to everything being handed to her.

Now the one thing she treasured most was in the hands of that gray monkey.

So now in the deep valley, a gray figure ran through the wood while a red one chased closely behind.

They had chased after the animal for almost half an hour. The grey monkey seemed like it must have been some rare exotic species; it still showed no signs of exhaustion and was still able to escape at high speeds. However, LingEr was getting used to navigating through the woods and they were getting ever closer to the monkey.

The thief fled all the way to the depths of the valley. From behind LingEr's back, Shirou saw that the woods ahead were thinning and growing brighter. At this time, the monkey's screams seemed to have become more rapid as if surprised that they hadn't given up. It didn't stop its escape though and kept going forwards.

* * *

Light spilled though as they entered a clearing and their surroundings became much brighter. There was gravel all over the ground and a small pond in the middle. The water waves flowed west.

When the monkey fled to the clearing, it seemed to have hesitated for a moment. Hearing the wind piercing sound behind him, it was forced to the ground and kept running forwards. Strangely enough, its pace had slowed considerably. It was no longer correct to refer to it as fleeing but more like walking. Still, it was moving forward step-by-step.

Shirou's brow scrunched up in confusion, however, LingEr was too concentrated on the prize before them. In her eyes, the monkey had slowed down and was now within grasp. She drove straight into the open area and rushed the gray monkey.

Right as they were about to catch the monkey, a strange sound echoed within Shirou's mind. He couldn't help but shiver in disgust at the vile sensation that came over him; a horrible feeling that would cause a person to throw up. His blood felt as though it was molasses, thick and languid. He was able to preserve himself for a few seconds with willpower alone

At the same time, however, LingEr's body shook a couple of times, weakened and fell off.

The two of them were still in mid-air.

Since LingEr had lost control, Phoenix Soul immediately stopped and the two began to fall to the ground at once. Shirou grabbed the falling girl and tucked her to his chest. Turning them both in mid-air, he made sure he would take the brunt of the fall. He reinforced his back and braced for the impact.

Letting out a grunt when they landed, Shirou shouted: "LingEr _shijie_, are you okay?"

But LingEr was lying on his chest, motionless. Her beautiful face was deathly pale and in a cold sweat. It seemed that she had fainted. That strange feeling from earlier must have the cause of this.

Suddenly, that vile feeling returned with greater force. It felt as though his blood had turned to mud. His body couldn't help but shiver in disgust and fear. Yet, Shirou had been practicing Brahman Wisdom for five years and was able to cycle the various energies of his body. Though he was still on the first verse, he was able to do this much at least.

Shutting his eyes for a brief moment, he willed his prana to cycle through his body. Where his magic cycled the blood seemed to regain its natural state and lose its sudden viscosity. He only wished that he could do the same for LingEr but he wasn't confident enough to try and put his magical energy into her lest he make a mistake.

Opening his eyes again, Shirou observed his surroundings. There was not a single plant growing within thirty feet of the pond yet, outside of this inner ring, the wood was flourishing.

Gritting his teeth in concentration, he willed his prana to continue cycling to negate that repressive sensation. He stood up and carried LingEr with gentle care. He also picked up Phoenix Soul at the same time and willed his body towards the outer edge.

It was a short distance, only ten feet, yet it was extremely difficult to travel. That vile feeling attacked him again and again without any break. Finally, once they were outside of the thirty-foot radius, the sensation disappeared. Already the girl in his arms looked more relaxed, she unconsciously burrowed deeper into his chest.

Shirou put LingEr down, let out a sigh of relief and took some deep breaths to recover. He looked towards the pond and saw the gray monkey was still there with an anguished look on its face. It had looked in his direction and seemed like it was asking for help.

Shirou frowned, but ultimately couldn't bear it. He stood up and braced himself for that feeling once more. He prematurely started to cycle his prana. After only a few steps, the vile feeling attacked him once more.

He walked towards the monkey slowly. The animal didn't move when it saw him coming, already overwhelmed by the evil in the atmosphere. Shirou took a deep breath, leaned over, picked up the monkey, turned around and carried it towards the outer edge. The monkey was very docile and obedient this time.

Finally, they came out again. Now that they were next to LingEr, who was still unconscious, the vile feeling disappeared. Shirou set the gray monkey on the ground and let out another sigh. Sitting down, he took some deep breaths to recover. His considerable willpower had been tested and his mind and body were fatigued. Though he was trained with Brahman Wisdom, he was not used to such attacks on his body.

The gray monkey was also relieved and was laying on the floor. Its eyes were focused on Shirou, it seemed like it had no intention of escaping.

Shirou looked towards LingEr. Her face had regained some of its color and her brow was no longer furrowed in pain. He smiled a little bit; he was quite close to his _shijie_ and hated to see her in pain. Remembering the purpose of the chase, he walked over towards the grey monkey. It had worn the bamboo hairpin since the beginning. Miraculously it had remained on its fur the entire time.

He unclipped the ornament from the animal, it seemed content allowing him to do so. Brushing off and removing any stray fur, he briefly cleaned it with his shirt. Even though it was such a simple gift, it meant a lot to LingEr. He placed it rather sloppily in her hair. He didn't really know how to use it; he could only imitate what she normally did.

"Creek, creek…" The monkey said rather quietly. It looked apologetic.

Shirou then picked up the Phoenix Soul from the ground where it had fallen. It was his first time looking at an Esper this closely. It was soft and silky. He placed it next to LingEr's unconscious body.

He turned his attention back towards the small pond in the center of the clearing.

It was a small body of water. There was no visible source to see where it had come from; it was likely fed by underground springs. The water was jade green and quite murky making it impossible to judge its depth. There was a gap on the west side of the pond where the flowed out and merged into a stream.

In the center of the pond, there was a stacked pile of rocks of varying shapes and sizes. A small part of it showed above the water. Among the rocks, there was a black rod. One foot of the rod was exposed above the surface while the rest of it was underwater. It was pure black all over and he didn't know what material it was composed of. It was quite ugly.

Although Shirou felt that this place was unnatural and that they should leave as soon as possible, he harbored a morbid curiosity for the black rod. It was most definitely the source of the vile aura. He stood up and was determined to enter the inner ring again.

"Creek, creek!" The grey monkey seemed surprised, baffled as why someone would willingly go back in.

Using Brahman Wisdom, Shirou reentered the range of the rod's influence. As he ventured farther in and closer to the pond, the amount of energy he would have to cycle increased dramatically. Nevertheless, he persisted and, step-by-step, got closer to the water's edge.

As he continued to walk, the bead hung around his chest began to glow a dim purple. It was warm to the touch, however, Shirou's sweating skin hardly felt it. Yet, for some inexplicable reason to the boy, it was providing him with magical energy. It was assisting him in this regard.

Shirou didn't know that this common looking bead was once the well-known cursed item Sinister Orb. The bead's origins were unknown, but its special ability to absorb the essence and blood of a creature was notorious. It any living thing came near it, Sinister Orb would suck out all of its essence and blood in a few seconds, leaving only skin and bones behind. It was an evil, horrible cursed item.

A little more than a thousand years ago, a Mo priest named HeiXin had acquired the bead. He used its power to siphon the blood of a countless number of victims and refined it to an Esper. Suddenly, he had became one of the strongest individuals in the realm and killed many people from the Dao and Fu factions. His reputation had skyrocketed as a result.

The bead would later become an object of worship for the Mo factions. It was one of the Four Evil Treasures.

After the death of HeiXin, the bead went missing. TianYin's Divine Monk PuZhi came across the object by chance in a large swamp in the west about thirty years ago. Within a ten-mile radius, one could only see the numerous bones of the dead; not a single living thing was present. The air was thick with hatred and resentment.

PuZhi's merciful heart was moved and he used the Fu incantations to purify the area. He then used the Demonic Sealing incantation day and night to defend against the evil force of the bead. He had stopped for thirty years straight.

Afterwards, he hard strung the bead with the Buddhist treasure Jade Prayer Beads and used its pure energy to resist the sinister whispers. Finally, with the help of the beads and multiple layers of Fu power, the evil spirit within the bead was sealed and made dormant.

Unexpectedly, in the Grasstemple Village, PuZhi was heavily injured by the mysterious man and was nearly killed in combat. Although he had managed to wound his opponent, PuZhi new that he had not damaged his spiritual network, thus, the man would come back and try to obtain the Sinister Orb once again after he had healed.

Knowing this, PuZhi took the Three Days from Death pill and extended his life by three days. He had chosen a risky path and gave the orb to Shirou. Although it might have still harmed innocent lives, at least it wouldn't fall in the hands of evil.

Yet, PuZhi couldn't have known that Shirou would feel a sentimental attachment to the object. Wanting to remember the monk's kindness and the brief time they spend as master and student, Shirou had kept the evil item and strung it around his neck.

However, Shirou had rewritten the future of the bead in a single moment. When he had awakened his magical power, it was gloriously strong and abundant. PuZhi's Fu barriers were made to seal whatever they encapsulated and were very weak to external influences. Thus, Shirou's magical power overloaded PuZhi's barriers and shattered them.

TianYin techniques were not made to handle excessive power; they were high efficiency in mind to make up for a lack of power.

The Sinister Orb had briefly reawakened that night and it had immediately attempted to drain Shirou of both his essence and mind. However, Shirou was an anomaly though and though and the Sinister Orb had lost the duel in the end.

When it had attempted to draw Shirou's blood and essence, the boy had been completely engulfed in his magical energy. His blood was molten glass and steel; his essence was swords. Such a powerful and unique disposition proved to be the end of the evil spirit that inhabited the Sinister Orb.

However, despite the death and eradication of the evil spirit, the Sinister Orb was still a cursed item at its core. With Shirou's energy having flooded it prior, it had been satisfied. The item had been slowly siphoning a bit of his magical power each day since he had first awakened it. It was akin to a parasite that had grown fat with pleasure.

However, cursed items were rather possessive and finicky. In the presence of another malignant force, the Sinister Orb made way to defend its territory so to speak. It could not draw the blood of an inanimate object so it assisted its host. It let some of the accumulated magical energy it had siphoned back into Shirou's body. It had realized that he would have been overwhelmed if it had left him on his lonesome.

Now, at this this, a small muffled sound arose and the sky darkened instantly. The Sinister Orb, resting on Shirou's chest, glowed green. The once purple orb had turned completely green and it radiated its unholy light, covering Shirou's body. It was like a demon had been reborn.

At the same time the Sinister Orb began to glow green, a huge sound came from the center of the pond. Suddenly a storm had arrived. Shirou lifted his arms to cover his face as the pile of rocks in the center of the lake exploded and shot in all directions. The jade water turned into a great whirlpool, circling the center of the pond rapidly.

In the middle of the vortex, between the water spray, an item slowly rose up, billowing a foul black gas. It was the mysterious black rod, about two feet long, not metal nor stone. It had redoubled its assault on Shirou's body.

It now took all of his concentration to keep Brahman Wisdom cycling his blood. The evil presence in the air grew exponentially. Even though the green light surrounding him seemed ghastly and demonic, it was oddly comforting and he could feel it supplying him with magical energy. Still, the boy willed himself forwards.

He understood very clearly now that this rod was malice in its purest form. It he left it be, it would remain in the world and continue to harm anyone unfortunate enough to get close to it. Cycling Brahman Wisdom made him think of his other techniques and a possible end to the rod for good.

He thought of Reinforcement.

Shirou remembered how the bamboo that had exploded. That would do no good. The item was clearly magical, to shatter and object in that fashion would only bring complete destruction. LingEr was still unconscious at the outer ring and the grey monkey was there as well. He could not endanger their lives. Thus, there was only one option.

To destroy the rod, he would make it brittle and crush it with all his might. If there was any fallout, only he would pay the price.

Within the sound of crashing water waves, the mysterious black rod whistled through the air and targeted the green flashing light on Shirou's chest. It was at this moment that he saw his opportunity.

He prepared his body for sudden movement and waited for the foul rod to come closer.

When it was within reach, he knew that he would most likely only have a single chance as well as limited time to work. He firmly grasped the object, its touch was vile and putrid, but he kept Brahman Wisdom cycling. The Sinister Orb seemed to know his intention and provided him with even more magical energy.

Shirou pushed his prana into the black rod. He felt the holes and pores in its construction and quickly flooded them with magic. He made sure to not utterly saturate the object in his energy so that it would only become brittle. The object's natural power resisted the change, but Shirou was determined and his prana capacity was massive.

When he felt that it was complete, he tightened his fist. He crushed the rod.

When he did so, the storm see to rage even more violently and the foul black gas that surrounded the rod spewed forth in even greater quantities. The howls of the dead filled the air and enveloped the clearing with their wraith-like wails.

It was almost too much for Shirou to resist, but he held strong through willpower and Brahman Wisdom.

After what felt like an eternity, the wails stopped, the storm abided, the black gas stopped spewing and the Sinister Orb stopped glowing. The malignant presence had faded and so, Shirou stopped Brahman Wisdom. His face was filled with sweat from exertion.

On the ground were two separate pieces of the vile black rod; clenched between his fist was some dust where he had broken it.

Shirou let out a great sigh of relief, however, he still had a job to finish. He sat down and picked up one piece of the rod and a stone nearby. He fumbled around his garments for a bit and took out a small pouch.

He reinforced the piece of the rod to the point of brittleness; the previous resistance was completely gone. When it was filled with his prana, he used the large rock he picked up to crush the rod into a coarse powder. He repeated the same process for the other end of the rod. Afterwards, he gathered the black sand into the pouch he had taken out.

He would find a proper way to dispose of it.

With the job completed, Shirou turned around and walked back towards the outer edge of the clearing. The monkey was still there, it was standing in front of LingEr. A few rocks were in front of its body and its fur was slightly dirty. It must have defended the unconscious girl from when the rocks had exploded.

"Creek, creek?"

Shirou couldn't help but chuckle at the creature, it was definitely intelligent.

"Yes, it's over."

* * *

When LingEr had reawaken, Shirou had been holding her, carrying her slowly back towards Bamboo Peak and the Hall of Quietude.

Her sleepy eyes, had opened and registered that he was holding her. Afterwards, she shut them and burrowed herself deeper into his chest.

"Are you comfortable, LingEr _shijie_?" Asked Shirou rather innocently.

The girl hid her face by snuggling closer to him. Her cheeks were dusted with a faint pink.

"What time is it now?" The girl asked.

"Its almost dark now; you've been out for quite a long time."

She lifted her head and looked at Shirou, her eyes full of confusion: "What happened?"

Shirou shook his head: "I don't really know. You were trying to catch that monkey and you suddenly fell unconscious. Phoenix Soul fell out of the sky as well."

Her eyes widened remembering the chase. Her hand came up to her hair, she felt a familiar weight there.

"Creek, creek!"

Her eyes narrowed when she heard the voice of the thief she had chased in the morning. The gray monkey had recoiled in fright at her scowl and hung off Shirou's back. It seemed to be using the boy as a shield to defend itself against the angry red woman.

"What is that thing doing here." She said angrily, referencing the monkey.

"LingEr _shijie_, he's not all that bad. He returned your hairpin and helped you when you were unconscious."

The monkey looked a bit apologetic and sheepish at that.

There was a moment of silence as Shirou continued to walk. The Hall of Quietude was still a good distance away, but at least the sun hadn't set yet.

"LingEr _shijie_, are you able to walk?"

The girl blinked and gave him a small smile. She burrowed her face back into his chest.

"I think not."

"Such a demanding _shijie_ I have…"

The grey monkey laughed atop of his shoulder.

* * *

In the Bamboo Peak's Hall of Quietude, Tian BuYi was pacing back and forth. His brow was furrowed and his face was filled with anxiety. This morning, SuRu had told him that his daughter and his prodigious seventh disciple went to the back mountain and trained together. It was dark now and they had yet to come back even once. Both of them had been absent from lunch.

SuRu had already gone out them and now, all of the other disciples had also been sent out. However, the entirety of Bamboo Peak was filled with woods and looking for two people would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of footsteps echo from the front of the hall. Tian BuYi looked up and saw that SuRu had returned with the two devils that had made him worry. Shirou seemed a bit dirty but otherwise fine; LingEr was sleeping soundly in his arms. Curiously enough, an unknown monkey was sitting on Shirou's shoulder.

Tian BuYi was relieved, but his face was still scrunched up in anger. Shirou, seeing his master's face, quickly whispered something to LingEr and she quickly woke up. Shirou let the girl down from his arms and she quickly stood in front of her father. The gray monkey didn't care for the situation at all and kept messing with Shirou's hair.

LingEr saw the angry look on her father's face. She rolled her eyes and made a large smile, trying to seem like the most cute and innocent flower as she skipped to Tian BuYi's side. She took his hand and said: "Dad, we're back."

Tian BuYi grunted: "Where were you two?"

LingEr's face turned a bit sour: "A monkey stole my hairpin when we were about to train. Shirou helped me chase it. Oh, that's the thief."

The monkey seemed to deadpan. This woman still wouldn't drop the subject.

LingEr didn't notice the animal and began to summarize what happened throughout the chase: "… then we went to a valley and I suddenly felt ill and passed out unknowingly. When I woke up, Shirou was already carrying me back to the peak. He had managed to get the hairpin from the monkey, though, I don't know why he had decided to keep it around."

Tian BuYi frowned and, after a moment, turned to his wife and asked, "How was it?"

SuRu shook her head: "I already checked there when I was looking for the two of them in the mountain and didn't find anything suspicious. I think it's mostly because LingEr's cultivation isn't strong enough. She was forced to ride on Phoenix Soul with Shirou so she ran out of strength in the end."

LingEr coquetry said: "Mother, what are you saying. When have I not practiced enough?"

SuRu rolled her eyes and took her daughter's hand. She looked at Shirou and addressed the both of them: "You two haven't eaten for a whole day… You must be hungry."

LingEr stuck out her tongue and laughed: "Yea, I'm starving, mother!"

Grabbing Shirou's hand, she dragged the both of them towards the dining hall.

SuRu and Tian BuYi could only sigh, a small smile making it way onto their faces.

* * *

Dinner happened after all of the disciples had returned from their search. They were all concerned for both Shirou and LingEr and were relieved to see that both of them were alright if not a bit hungry.

The meal had proceeded as usual, but Shirou made an announcement to Tian BuYi.

"Master, I believe that I have finished learning YuQing's third level."

The first level taught disciples how to gather mana in the atmosphere and the second level taught them how to convert mana into useable prana. The third level taught disciples how to manage both sources of energy at once. If prana was yang energy, then mana was yin energy. Together, the two would be much more powerful.

Shirou believed he had done just that today at the wood clearing.

There was only complete silence at the dinner table afterwards.

SuRu closed her eyes and smiled sweetly at him: "Shirou, come to Tai Chi Cave at dawn tomorrow."

Shirou let out a dying choke.

Perhaps he should have remained silent.

* * *

A/N: Trying to introduce Shirou's magecraft naturally was kind of awkward. I feel like I did fine with Reinforcement, but Structural Grasping is bit eh. I tried to make it such that it would share some parallels with the canon spells and not be some stage of cultivation. It would be easy to say Reinforcement would be the end result of Brahman Wisdom, but that felt kind of cheap.

Aside from that, Shirou now has one girl after him - I wonder how their relationship will end up.

Now that Shirou has also broken YuQing level 3, SuRu takes a renewed interest in him. She can 'train' him to prepare for the Seven Peaks Tournament in two years. Second Disciple DaYi is only at level three, so Shirou now at level four would naturally replace him.

Next time we wrap up the time before the tournament, I introduce some new character and we meet some old faces


	4. QingYun - 3

A/N: In this chapter we finish up Shirou's halcyon days at Bamboo Peak and set the scene for the tournament beginning next chapter.

Zhu Xian, as some of you noted, is a tragedy. The initial chapters are, looking back on it, very fluffy and heart-warming. So in here, we're going finish off the concentrated fluff.

Originally, I had set aside a chapter for the period between the time of last chapter and the beginning of the tournament, but I really didn't want to do a training montage style chapter. I just personally don't enjoy them. Instead, I just cover if anything I deemed important happened.

Other than that, new term.

_Shishu _\- Someone else's master who is one's own master's equal

_Shizhi_ \- Another equals student

* * *

QingYun - 3

A month had passed since Shirou had journeyed to the ancient valley. Soon, it would officially be the fifth year that Shirou had been in QingYun.

He no longer was able to sneak off to the bamboo clearing in the mornings. SuRu had requested for him to train at the Tai Chi Cave more frequently. Much like the other disciples, he had grown to fear his _shiniang_ more than his master. While there was no question that her training methods were successful, they were extremely painful!

He remembered the pitying looks his _shixiongs_ had given him.

Alas, today was simply another day of training. SuRu had been no gentler than she normally was. With the exception of LingEr, who was simply farther along in cultivation, all of the disciples were beaten and instructed by her hand. The pained cries of men echoed through the mountainside.

At dinner, everyone in Bamboo Peak gathered in the dining hall. When Tian BuYi sat down, DaRen reported to him about the day's events. Tian BuYi expression had remained stony as DaRen recounted SuRu's guidance session and had sighed once the first disciple had finished. He waved his hand: "Eat."

Looking at Shirou, SuRu smiled and said: "Ah, Shirou, now you've been at Bamboo Peak for five years."

Shirou immediately answered: "Yes."

SuRu sighed softly and wistfully said: "Ai, time passes so fast, so quickly that now it has been five years…"

Suddently, she stopped and raised her voice, the air around her changed. Speaking to the other six disciples, she said, "Do any of you have that feeling?"

The disciples of Tian BuYi were shocked. They straightened their back and answered: "Yes!"

SuRu snorted and said: "You're little _shidi_ has already grown up, but in five years, none of you have shown any sign of advancement. Are you trying to kill me and you master with embarrassment?"

No one dared to say a word and they all looked towards their _shixiong_ DaRen. Under the pressure of his _shidi_ DaRen responded.

"_Shiniang_, please don't worry; we will work hard this time."

Her face screamed disbelief. Just when she was about to speak, Tian BuYi cut in: "Sixth."

BiShu was surprised but thankful for the save. He raised his head and asked: "Master, are you calling me?"

Tian BuYi plainly said: "I saw you waving your arms at the dishes in the kitchen these days, what's going on?"

BiShu's face turned bright red and his tongue tied. He murmured: "Master, you… you saw that?"

SuRu asked, intrigued: "Eh, BiShu, what is it?"

BiShu hesitated for a moment and whispered: "This disciple wanted to see if I can guide an object to move…"

Everyone was surprised. "Navigate Object" was the basis of QingYun Esper cultivation. An individual must at least reach YuQing's fourth level to utilize it.

Tian BuYi nodded, interested now, and asked: "And?"

BiShu whispered: "It seemed like… It seemed like it moved a little…"

Much like Shirou's announcement a month ago, everyone was surprised. Fifth disciple DaXin, who was sitting next to him, slapped his hand on BiShu's shoulder and smiled. Shirou smiled and nodded to the sixth.

SuRu, who sat across from him, was also smiling. She said: "Very nice, though, it is difficult to imagine you would work that hard… When did you find that out?"

BiShu let out a sigh of relief: "_Shiniang_, you wound me. Not Long ago, I was practicing in my room. Suddenly, the cup of water moved. I was wondering if I broke through level three."

He let out a shy smile and continued: "But, this disciple wasn't certain, so I often tried to test it again. In the end, I was discovered by master."

Tian BuYi smiled: "That's what it is when you reach between levels three and four. Although there is a great difference between the levels of power, there won't be any clear sign at the beginning. You are very clever; even though you started late, you've caught up."

Everyone was smiling now and congratulating him. In the middle of the celebration, LingEr cut in and asked.

"Sixth _shixiong_, have you decided what kind of Esper you want to craft?"

BiShu thought for a moment and shook his head: "No. Master had just confirmed that I reached level four, I haven't given it much thought."

SuRu smiled: "No need to worry. Think about it for a few days. You know how your master is, he will never force you to craft a sword. When you have an idea of what you want, just find the materials and craft it."

Tian BuYi then said: "Sixth."

BiShu quickly snapped his eyes back to his master and answered: "Master."

"Following QingYun's tradition, disciples that reach Pure Essence YuQing's fourth level need to travel around the world and seek out materials for their Esper. Most will rely on luck and circumstance to find spiritual materials. I will give you a few days to prepare and pack your things; you leave afterwards."

BiShu was startled for a moment. He was so happy that he had finally advanced in his cultivation but, at the same time, he didn't want to leave.

After a while, BiShu responded: "Yes." But then remembered, "Master, all the meals in here were prepared by this sixth, but when I leave…"

Fifth disciple DaXin laughed: "What do you need to fear? Wasn't I here before you arrive? Don't worry, I'll make sure they won't starve."

BiShu and the others all laughed.

LingEr witted back: "Now you've said it fifth_ shixiong_. Because of the food you cooked, I often had nightmares when I was young!"

DaXin's face turned red from the laughter around him. When they had begun to settle down, Tian BuYi said: "From now on, let seventh do the kitchen work."

Everyone was startled. DaXin was surprised: "Master… _shidi_ is far more advanced than us. Please, allow this fifth to resume cooking again."

Tian BuYi looked at Shirou with a hint of fear in his eyes. Was DaXin's cooking skill truly that terrible? Was everyone else equally inept at making food?

Shirou actually seemed excited: "Master, don't worry. I have experience cooking from before I arrived. I often help sixth _shixiong_ in the kitchen; I know what to do."

Tian BuYi's eyes seemed relieved, but that might have been a trick of the light. He nodded and waved his hands: "Eat."

* * *

Three days later, BiShu finished packing. He had told everything Shirou needed to know about the kitchen and then left the mountain. BiShu was the youngest out of all the _shixiongs_; Shirou had frequently talked to him during dinner. As such, BiShu, with the exception of LingEr, was the closest to him.

Now that he had left the mountain, Shirou began to feel lonelier. Even though LingEr still clung to him and SuRu help him with cultivation every day, he couldn't escape the sad feeling of seeing one of his _shixiongs_ leave. Seeing his despondence, LingEr tried to cheer him up and now also trained at Tai Chi Cave at dawn.

However, that was in the morning. Now, Shirou started his newest homework: cooking.

This was actually his first-time cooking since the event at Grasstemple five years ago. SuRu had let him go from the morning session earlier than usual. LingEr had followed him to the dining hall, content on watching him work.

At noon, Tian BuYi and the rest of the disciples all entered the dining hall. The table was filled with an abundance of dishes and laid out as it used to be with the exception of BiShu's seat. Shirou, sitting at the end of the disciple's bench, clasped his hands together. Everyone could feel his nervousness.

Everyone sat down. Tian BuYi didn't say a word. SuRu smiled and asked: "Shirou, how does it feel to cook for the first time?"

Shirou responded: "Frightening."

Tian BuYi snorted: "Eat."

The disciples answered and began to eat.

It was completely silent in the dining hall.

Shirou became extremely nervous; his forehead was sweating. He murmured: "Master, _shixiongs_, I… I didn't do very well; you… you guys…"

"Delicious!" LingEr suddenly cheered, she grabbed another piece of bamboo shoot and place it in her mouth. Shirou was startled. All of his _shixiongs_ smiled and nodded.

"Never thought that Shirou _shidi_ could cook so well. Nice, nice!"

"Mm," There was an unintelligible mess of sounds, "better than old fifth, no, better than old fifth and sixth added together, ho-ho!"

Tian BuYi nodded his head and smiled, a blissful expression on his face. Shirou felt satisfaction when he saw all his _shixiongs' _and master's reaction.

After that, Shirou made dinner the same day. LingEr had followed him once more.

He continued to work in the kitchen from then on.

* * *

Time passed quickly and half a year had gone by again. Every day, QingYun's Seven Peak Tournament, held every sixty years, was drawing nearer. SuRu, of course, reminded the disciples to practice and still occasionally helped them with their cultivation. Surprisingly, Tian BuYi had done so as well, though, he only gave reminders and no actual guidance.

Everyone focused on practicing and now, only SuRu and LingEr bothered Shirou.

It was actually kind of vexing. While the attention from the two was great for Dao cultivation, it restricted him from practicing the Fu Brahman Wisdom certain nights. LingEr would sneak over to his room to visit and interrupt the meditation session. His individual magics were even more difficult to train in these days; he hadn't gone to the bamboo clearing at all recently.

His days were hectic and tiring. From dawn, he would go to Tai Chi Cave and train with both SuRu and LingEr. He would be dismissed an hour earlier than before to go prepare lunch; sometimes LingEr would follow and other times she would be held back by her mother.

After they all finished eating, SuRu would make him go back to the cave and train there once more. Some days the other disciples would join them but on others they would disperse back to their rooms after the meal.

Each afternoon, he found a new definition for pain.

In the evenings, he would return to his room and continue practicing his Dao cultivation. If LingEr decided to sneak over, the day would be over by then. If she didn't, then he would practice Brahman Wisdom in the courtyard.

Additionally, the grey monkey from the ancient valley lived with Shirou for half a year. Shirou had eventually given him a name – XiaoHui. It was just like his name, normal and nothing special.

After some time, XiaoHui began following Shirou to the kitchen. Initially, the monkey had been extremely afraid since it would usually meet LingEr. The red lady never forgot her resentment for XiaoHui. Whenever the girl wasn't with Shirou, however, he would steal food from the kitchen inconspicuously. Within just half a year, he was already twice as fat as when he first arrived.

Yet, in Bamboo Peak, XiaoHui had another enemy: DaHuang.

Much like LingEr, DaHuang always disliked XiaoHui. At the beginning, DaHuang barked at him every time that the two saw each other. XiaoHui always got scared and hid in high places. As time passed by, DaHuang seemed to accept the monkey as part of Bamboo Peak. However, when they would meet, DaHuang would bare his teeth making the monkey scared and scream. DaHuang would bark back and walk away.

Winter came. The weather in Bamboo Peak was getting harsh. With the exception of both Tian BuYi and SuRu, who were highly cultivated, the other disciples all wore another layer of clothing.

That day, there was unusual sunshine. SuRu decided to train all of the disciples today and hadn't let LingEr leave early. Thus, Shirou was by himself in the kitchen. Finished with his cooking, Shirou went outside and stretched. He sat down next to a pine tree and enjoyed the winter sun.

After a moment, just when he was about to fall asleep, he heard some barking. He opened his eyes and found DaHuang also lazily laying down beside him. The dog was basking in the sun while XiaoHui walked slowly from behind, getting closer to DaHuang.

Shirou raised an eyebrow in surprise. DaHuang often came to the kitchen looking for food. He knew the relationship between the monkey and the dog rather well. Today, it seemed like the sun had risen from the west, XiaoHui was intentionally approaching DaHuang! Shirou kept his eyes on the both of them.

The monkey got very close to DaHuang. Even though the dog couldn't see anything behind him, his nose was able to smell something unusual. He turned back and bared his teeth and barked a few times.

XiaoHui's body curled slightly and seemed to still be scared. Then, he rolled his eyes and waved his right hand in front of DaHuang.

DaHuang didn't seem to care about it at first, but his nose sniffed the air a few times. He smelled something peculiar. His eyes stared at XiaoHui's hand; his eyes didn't blink. His body was motionless; he didn't bark anymore. He showed his long tongue, wagged his tail and acted friendly.

Shirou was surprised, but after he saw what was in XiaoHui's hand, he couldn't help but smile. The monkey was holding a bone that Shirou had used to cook soup just now. He knew that DaHuang loved them so he had hidden it in a high place where the dog couldn't get it. The thieving monkey had stolen it and came to bribe DaHuang.

XiaoHui threw the bone in front of the dog. Already drooling, DaHuang immediately opened his mouth and chewed on it.

As XiaoHui watched DaHuang savor his meal, he carefully approached the dog. He hesitated for a moment and then patted DaHuang.

DaHuang groaned and XiaoHui quickly took back his hand. After a moment, the monkey had patted him again. DaHuang was too busy dealing with his bone and didn't react. The monkey kept putting his hand on DaHuang and gently patted his soft, bright, yellow fur. He seemed to enjoy it; he curled back a little and groaned. This time there was no hostility.

XiaoHui let out a happy cry and DaHuang turned his head to lick the monkey. The relationship between the two changed faster than anything.

Mountain life was still as dull and boring as it was five years ago. Strange sights like the interactions between the monkey and dog made every day just a little bit more interesting and entertaining. Shirou couldn't help but smile and wondered how intelligent XiaoHui actually was.

"Ah, there you are!"

Shirou turned his eyes to the voice. It was LingEr. She was in her usual tight red clothing, but she wore a coat on top to ward off the winter chill.

"Ah, LingEr _shijie_."

She had a smile on her face as she walked over to Shirou. She sent a curious glance at the monkey and dog besides him, but paid them no attention in the end. She sat down next to Shirou under the pine tree, their shoulders touching.

"I was searching for you for a while; you weren't in the kitchen." She laid her head on his shoulder.

"I finished cooking a while ago. Are the other disciples coming for lunch?"

LingEr let out a sigh but answered: "No, not yet. Mom is finishing up her guidance today."

Shirou could only wince and offer a prayer for his _shixiongs_.

The two of them stayed there for a while with only the sounds of a monkey and dog playing beside them.

A few minutes later, the sound of piercing wind assaulted both of their ears. Shirou simply followed the noise and stared at the two oncoming figures. LingEr opened her eyes, but kept the same posture. Following Shirou's gaze, she found them as well.

There were two white lights coming from the west. DaHuang was surprised and began to bark at the white light. XiaoHui patted his head to comfort him and DaHuang settled down.

Shirou and LingEr saw the two white lights land across from them in front of the Hall of Quietude. After the bright light disappeared, two men appeared. One was tall and handsome with white clothing; he had a perfect face and a regal bearing. The definition of beautiful masculinity.

The other one was a younger, most likely sixteen or seventeen.

Shirou held his breath and LingEr lifted her head to look at him strangely. The sadness that he had once forgotten rose back into his heart. It was all because of this figure of his past!

"JingYu?" He stood up, LingEr following suit. Shirou's voice ripe with disbelief.

The young figure was startled. He immediately turned around and his eyes widened. His mouth opened to speak, but, in the end, out of thousands of words, he had chosen one.

"Shirou!"

* * *

"Disciple QiHao and Lin JingYu under Master CangSong's Dragon Head Peak are here to visit Tian _shishu_ and Su_ shishu._"

In the Hall of Quietude, Tian BuYi and SuRu sat in their main seats. The other disciples of Bamboo Peak all stood at the side while the two men in white clothes stood in the middle greeting Tian BuYi. The two were QiHao and Lin JingYu. Shirou was watching them from the end of the row.

He hasn't seen JingYu for a while, but now he was grown up.

At that moment, JingYu turned and faced Shirou. Their eyes met. JingYu smiled lightly and Shirou returned a nod.

Tian BuYi looked at QiHao and then shifted his gaze towards JingYu. His gaze darkened. He knew that the two disciples in front of him were already far ahead of most of the disciples of Bamboo Peak. QiHao was well-known in QingYun, however, the young JingYu already had a sword. He therefore must have already reached the fourth level of YuQing. Quite the achievement.

When he thought of that, he looked towards Shirou. Slightly mollified that he too possessed such a prodigious disciple he asked coldly: "What did your master send you here for?"

QiHao bowed and said: "Reporting to Tian _shishu_: Master CangSong was entrusted by Headmaster XuanZhen to take care and organize the QingYun Seven Peak Tournament that is taking place two years from now. Due to a change in the tournament structure, master ordered Lin _shidi_ and I to come and inform you."

Tian BuYi snorted and carefully examined JingYu: "He means to provoke me, right?"

QiHao and JingYu's faces frowned. JingYu wanted to step forwards and say something but QiHao held out his arm to stop him. He smiled and said.

"Tian _shishu_ really loves to joke. We are both under QingYun and Tian _shishu_ is highly respected. Out master has no intention of disrespect."

Tian BuYi's face was still dark and frigid. There seemed to be no improvement with QiHao's platitudes.

SuRu, with a kind smile on her face, gently said: "Don't mind him, he was just kidding. Right, the change in structure that you were talking about, what is it?"

QiHao respectfully replied: "Responding to Su _shishu_: The change is as follows.

"In the past Seven Peak Tournaments, each house is to send four people, the main house of Widow's Peak is to send eight for a total of thirty-two people. Opponents are decided by sortition, winners advance, lasting a total of five rounds. The final winner will be considered QingYun's most talented pupil among all of the disciples and will be educated under the guidance of QingYun elders."

SuRu smiled and kindly said: "I remember you now, at the last tournament, you were the rising star. You were in the final. If it wasn't Widow Peak's Xiao YiCai, you would have surely become the champion of QingYun."

QiHao's face didn't change from his usual smile: "Su _shishu_ has flattered me. In the last tournament, Xiao YiCai _shixiong_ was gifted and immensely cultivated. I am nowhere near his level. I cannot complain about the result.

"But the Seven Peaks Tournament that is going to take place two years from now, after Master CangSong and Headmaster XuanZhen had debated, will have a change in the rules. We came here to inform the two _shishu_."

Tian BuYi and SuRu's tones changed and asked: "And what have you come to say?"

QiHao answered: "Master CangSong thought that the meaning of the Seven Peaks Tournament was to find and give guidance to the most talented disciples. Currently, QingYun has almost a thousand disciples, especially after accounting for the new generation, and, thus, many talented disciples.

"It is an event that only takes place every sixty years, but each house is only able to send four people; it really is too few. Therefore, master suggested that each house send nine people. The main house has the most people so they will send one additional member.

"In total, there will be sixty-four people. The rest of the details are the usual: sorting, six rounds. This was, there will be no undiscovered talent."

Tian BuYi and SuRu exchanged looks. The color on their faces paled. Bamboo Peak had far less disciples and most of them were not far along with their cultivation. At first, it seemed like this would give them the advantage. However, it is actually more beneficial for houses like Widow's Peak and Dragon Head Peak who have an abundance of talented students.

SuRu looked at her husband and lightly shook her head. Tian BuYi understood her intention. The matter had already been discussed between headmaster and CangSong, there would be no point in arguing; everything had already been set.

Tian BuYi coolly responded: "That is fine. I have no complaints."

QiHao smiled: "Excellent. Also, Master CangSong had instructed I ask that, since Lin _shidi_ and Tian _shishu's_ disciple Zhang _shidi_ are old friends, that if Tian _shishu_ would allow them to have a chat with each other."

Tian BuYi was already in a bad mood. He waved his hand and impatiently said: "Fine. Go."

JingYu had already waited for a long time. Since he was facing another master, he didn't dare to speak out of turn. Now that he had Tian BuYi's approval, he immediately turned around and walked towards Shirou.

JingYu walked in front of Shirou and examined him carefully. Softly, he said: "You've grown up, Shirou."

Shirou nodded his head and replied with a small smile: "You too. Have you heard anything of the village?"

JingYu shook his head: "I've asked my master many times now, but there still has been no progress. What about you?"

"No luck as well."

JingYu pulled his hand: "Come, let's go out there and talk."

Shirou hesitated for a moment. He turned towards Tian BuYi and SuRu. Tian BuYi snorted and waved him off; SuRu smiled: "Go"

Shirou nodded and followed JingYu outside. LingEr looked as if she wanted to follow, but it was not her place.

QiHao now remained as the only guest in the Hall of Quietude. He looked around and met the eyes of each of the Bamboo Peak disciples. His sight finally landed on DaRen.

He bowed and put on a smile: "This must be Song DaRen _shixiong_. We had met each other in the last tournament."

DaRen, ever polite, quickly bowed back: "Qi _shixiong_ has a good memory. You still remember this defeated opponent."

All of the disciples were surprised. LingEr asked her mother that was sitting next to her: "Mom, did Da _shixiong_ really lose to this person?"

SuRu nodded and lowered her voice: "Yes. That time, your Da _shixiong_ had finally won two rounds. Your father and I were very proud of him. Then in the third round, his opponent was this man. The fight was over in just a few strikes."

LingEr's face scrunched: "So this person is very powerful?"

SuRu didn't answer immediately. She turned her head and looked at her husband. His face was steel and emotionless. He sat there completely still.

She shook her head: "QiHao's skill is far greater than your Da _shixiong_. That day, he didn't even use any tricks. That Esper he crafted, Frozen Melody, was made from a thousand-year arctic crystal from the KunLun Mountain's center peak. Your Da _shixiong_ is no match for him."

Tian BuYi seemed to feel something. He turned his head and looked at SuRu. Their eyes met and understood the words that were hidden inside each other's hearts. If only Bamboo Peak had such a powerful student. Shirou, although he had a great potential, was still only a novice.

He had progressed faster in Pure Essence than even LingEr, however. Perhaps he would be able to go up against this man one day.

QiHao was successful with cultivation and has the masters' complete trust. He often traveled around the world and thus was very knowledgeable. In addition, he had a silver tongue. Already DaRen, who was defeated by him, harbored no hostility.

QiHao was telling some kind of joke that caused the disciples to laugh. Then his sight landed on LingEr and saw the Phoenix Soul around her waist. His eyes brightened.

"Is that the famous Tian LingEr _shimei_?"

LingEr lifted an eyebrow and asked: "You know of me?"

QiHao smiled and took a few steps forwards: "Tian _shimei_ is only eighteen, but is already so accomplished in Pure Essence. Everybody in QingYun knows this and I've admired it from a long time. From what I can see today, you are well deserving of the reputation."

LingEr's back stiffened and Tian BuYi had already let out a sigh from his seat: "You are far too kind Qi_ shixiong_. However, you have never seen me fight. How can you be sure you are correct?"

QiHao was not deterred from her formal response and continued: "Tian _shimei_ is not only as beautiful as a flower, but also quite intelligent. You put me to shame as a _shixiong_."

A charming smile appeared on his face and his eyes were warm and expressive. LingEr looked at his handsome face, but there was another she was interested in. She thought of red hair and golden eyes; this person in front of her wasn't that individual.

"You flatter me. However, your words are out of turn QiHao _shixiong_."

Tian BuYi frowned; SuRu said: "LingEr, no nonsense."

QiHao was quick to reply to SuRu: "Su _shishu_, please don't be mad at Tian _shimei_. It's my fault to choose the wrong term to use."

Then, he took out a small box from his sleeve and passed it to LingEr: "Tian _shimei_, the Refresh Bead inside this box was retrieved by chance when I followed my Master CangSong to wipe out a group of heretics.

"Although it is not some valuable treasure, wearing it can help you stay cool against the summer heat. Also, I've heard that it helps women to keep their skin smooth. Today, I wish to give this to Tian _shimei_ as an apology for my mistake."

LingEr only stared impassively at the box. SuRu said: "Qi _shizhi_, The Refresh Bead is still a treasure, LingEr cannot possible take this. You can put it back."

QiHao smiled: "Su _shishu_ may not know, but this Refresh Bead is completely useless to me. Tian _shimei_ is young and beautiful and thus it can be of some use to her. This is my little gift. Please, accept it."

LingEr replied: "I refuse."

QiHao's perfect smile cracked for the first time. "Eh? Please, I insist."

LingEr shook her head lightly: "Qi _shixiong_, I cannot possibly accept such a treasure as that. The summers here at Bamboo Peak are not so sweltering that I could use such a gift. We live a simple mountain life; I cannot take this."

QiHao saw that the girl wasn't going to accept the gift and so returned the box to his person. He fixed his smile: "Not only is Tian_ shimei_ extraordinarily beautiful, but, humble as well! With _shimei's_ intellect, I can see a great future ahead. Although there are many talented students in QingYun, there are only a small number of people who have the same potential as you. Even I need to step back."

Tian BuYi let out a small smile; his eyes were angry. LingEr only stiffly nodded: "_Shixiong_ flatters me."

QiHao shook his head: "No, I was brought to QingYun by master when I was very young. During that period, my own cultivation was far behind yours. But…"

QiHao looked behind him towards the entrance to the Hall of Quietude. "But, if comparing raw potential, then there is another that can stand against you."

LingEr raised her eyebrow: "Who?"

QiHao smiled and pointed to the outside: "That would be my Lin _shidi_. Five years ago, he was adopted by Master CangSong. Just a few years later, his achievements are numerous and surprising. He possessed a natural gift for cultivation. There is no one in our house who can match him.

"He used only three years to pass through YuQing's fourth level. Now He is working on YuQing's sixth level. There has been no one like him for thousands of years. Master is very proud of him and said he is a genius of a thousand years like Master QinYe."

Tian BuYi suddenly broke the arms of his sandalwood chair. His face in cold rage.

QiHao was startled and whispered to SuRu, "Su _shishu_, did I say something wrong?"

SuRu could only smile bitterly.

Just as he was about to speak, a sound akin to a dragon's roar came from outside the hall. An arc of green light entered the Hall of Quietude, carving the stone beneath it as it traveled. There was a person traveling with the light and he was pushed back. In the air, he flipped his body and landed in a crouch at the front of the hall.

It was Shirou. Aside from a small cut on his face, he seemed to be fine; just a bit dirty.

Immediately, the mood of the hall changed. LingEr rushed forward and helped him get up: "Shirou, what happened?"

Shirou shook his head: "Nothing, I'm fine."

JingYu ran back into hall with a green sword drawn. His face was worried: "Shirou, are you alright? I accidentally…"

LingEr knew that this was the one that had hurt her _shidi_. She could only glare angrily at the boy across the hall. Before she could do anything, she felt a hand squeeze hers. She glanced at Shirou with concern and contained her rage before she did anything she would regret.

Tian BuYi's eyes glanced at the drawn weapon and his face scrunched: "CangSong is truly bold. To send you to my house with Dragon Slayer."

QiHao quickly responded: "Master said that _shidi's_ potential is greater than any other at our house. Since he has a great future ahead of him, we should help him get there faster. He means no disrespect."

Tian BuYi snorted; his eyes still fixed on JingYu with a murderous glare.

After a pause, Tian BuYi said: "I was right, CangSong means to taunt me. Not only has he harmed one of my disciples, but he has also destroyed my hall."

True enough, there was a gash in the otherwise pristine floor of the Hall of Quietude. Both the wounds on Shirou and the hall were caused by the same person and blade.

QiHao quickly made his way to JingYu: "_Shidi_ apologize, now!"

JingYu frowned and stepped forward. He spoke to Shirou: "Shirou, that was my bad. We haven't seen each other in so long, I had wanted to test out cultivation. However, I didn't hold back my strength. For that, I'm sorry."

Shirou simply nodded at the apology.

Tian BuYi, however, became angrier at JingYu's impudence. He suddenly rose from his seat and took a step forward. A red glow passed by on his face.

Seeing this, QiHao began to worry. Unlike JingYu, he had been with QingYun for a long time now and knew that Bamboo Peak was significantly weaker than the other six houses. However, their master Tian BuYi and his wife SuRu possess unbelievable strength, thus, no one dared to underestimate them.

Even the proud Master CangSong had imparted a bit of wisdom before they left: Although Tian BuYi has a short temper, his cultivation and power is extremely high. Also, his wife is well known in QingYun for her wisdom. Even out Headmaster Dao XuanZhen needs to treat the couple with great respect. Its best to avoid making him angry.

JingYu didn't hear this. Even if he did, he would have forgotten.

Tian BuYi made his move. SuRu had motioned to grab his hand and calm him down, but she had acted too late.

QiHao only whispered: "_Shidi_, be careful."

JingYu was already prepared when he saw Tian BuYi start moving. He immediately held up Dragon Slayer and used the spirit inside the sword to project a green aura to protect himself.

Yet, Tian BuYi saw the mighty green light as nothing. He suddenly appeared in front of JingYu, his presence alone enough to force the glow back. Tian BuYi's large angry eyes were almost touching JingYu's face and made the boy nervous. He took a few steps back unsteadily. Even in this case, the sword spirit of Dragon Slayer was still handing in mid-air defending its master.

Tian BuYi laughed coldly. His right hand suddenly reached out and passed through the sword spirit and a red glow appeared on his palm. He slowly pushed back the green light encompassing the blade and then seized Dragon Slayer.

QiHao immediately dashed in front of JingYu and shouted loudly, "Tian _shishu_, please have mercy!"

Tian BuYi didn't immediately go after him; let JingYu be protected by QiHao. He was more focused on examining Dragon Slayer.

Now, almost all of the green energy was gone. Dragon Slayer still struggled in Tian BuYi's hand though and shone half of his body green.

Tian BuYi raised his eyes: "Dragon Slayer is one of the Nine Imperial Regalia, but it doesn't make you invincible."

His fingers suddenly clenched hard on the sword's handle and the Esper immediately stopped moving. At the next moment, the green glare from earlier rose up again and was much more radiant than it had been in JingYu's hands.

"Tian _shishu_…" QiHao cried out.

Tian BuYi's face was as cold as ice. He said nothing more. His right-hand holding Dragon Slayer made a powerful slash. An arc of green light rushed towards JingYu and QiHao. The light glared and create a green pillar two men high.

QiHao gritted his teeth and drew out a white sword, the famous Frozen Melody.

The green light that Tian BuYi had released had almost reached them. QiHao protected JingYu and walked forwards a few steps. His right hand formed a seal. Frozen Melody glowed white and a wall of ice seven layers thick formed.

Yet, the green energy broke through the ice easily and shattered it into a million pieces. It had no sign of weakening. It charged towards QiHao like an angry dragon.

QiHao's face paled. With nowhere to go, he used all his strength and made Frozen Melody form a white barrier.

"Bang!" The green light collided with the white shield. Although it didn't immediately stifle the white light, it was pushing it back rapidly. QiHao used all of his strength and had managed to block the energy a foot from his face.

QiHao tried to keep the barrier up, but his feet began to collapse and his feet were being pushed backwards by the powerful force.

Throughout this entire ordeal, Tian BuYi stood still where he was and didn't make any other moves. Dragon Slayer's green glow however, was getting brighter and brighter. QiHao and JingYu were pushed outside the Hall of Quietude to the ground outside. The ground beneath where the green light had passed by looked as if it were slashed by a large blade; a one-foot deep rift was left in its wake.

The green light pushed the two back another three yards. Now, the white barrier was only six inches from QiHao's body and his feet sank into the soft earth. A moment later, QiHao couldn't hold it any longer and the white light disappeared. Frozen Melody was hit with a great force into the air.

QiHao and JingYu's faces were deathly pale as they saw the green light. But just before it could reach them, it had stopped moving.

QiHao was sweating; he didn't dare move.

A moment later, the green light disappeared.

"Clang!"

Frozen Melody landed on the ground in front of the two. QiHao regained his bearings a bit and respectfully said: "Thank you for Tian _shishu's_ kindness."

JingYu was surprised to see the short and fat Tian BuYi wielded such great power.

Suddenly, an item was tossed out from the Hall of Quietude. QiHao and JingYu looked surprised. Dragon Slayer had landed right next to Frozen Melody.

"Leave." Tian BuYi's voice returned to normal, but his face was still cold.

QiHao quickly responded and pulled JingYu along.

* * *

The meeting was abruptly finished. Tian BuYi's impatience and anger was still showing; QiHao was infuriating for the short master to listen to. He began to think back to the words QiHao had said.

Tian BuYi wondered why Shirou had not displayed the same progress in cultivation that JingYu had. It was true that his seventh was much less outgoing and boisterous than CangSong's prodigal son, but that should only account for so much. In terms of pure magical and spiritual potential, Shirou was every bit JingYu's equal if not more. Thus, it was with this confusing thought that the pudgy master retreated towards the back hall of the Hall of Quietude.

He simply needed some time to think before lunch.

The disciples had been silent through the entire exchange. Seeing their master's back walking into the depths of the hall, the disciples were dismissed from their standing locations. LingEr had quickly claimed the spot right next to Shirou. To the golden eyed boy, she was being a tad more affectionate than usual. Nevertheless, he walked out of the Hall of Quietude in order to set lunch.

SuRu had arrived before Tian BuYi, she had simply told Shirou to meet her after lunch. Her face was unusually serious. Even though she contained a fierce personality underneath, she usually wore a smile. Shirou had agreed. Now they all waited for Tian BuYi to show up.

After a brief wait, the man had showed up to the dining hall. His face was fierce unlike his usual expressionless mask. He walked over to his seat along the table, but he didn't beckon the disciples to begin the meal.

"So, all of you saw what happened today, right?" Tian BuYi asked.

Everyone was quiet. DaRen eventually said: "Yes, master showed his might and punished the…"

"Nonsense!" Tian BuYi suddently shouted. The disciples were terrified. Tian BuYi said angrily: "Today, CangSong had sent his two disciples to deliver a message. Yes, he told us the changes to the tournament, but all of you should know how far in cultivation all the other houses' disciples are now!"

Everyone was silent, Shirou could only stare blankly.

Tian BuYi continued: "Seven Peaks Tournament is almost here. All of you useless people… From today on, everyone lock themselves in their room. If you don't make any decent improvement, let's see if I can peel your skin off!"

All of the disciples had an unwilling look on their face, but none said a word. LingEr carefully said: "Dad, then I will…"

"You too!" Tian BuYi said without hesitation.

Just when LingEr was about to speak, her sleeve got pulled on by her mother. She turned and looked at SuRu who shook her head gently.

Tian BuYi's voice resounded through the dining hall: "Except for the seventh, who is responsible for meals, all of you cannot leave here for these one and a half years. Settle down and practice, understand?"

From there, lunch had been a solemn affair.

* * *

After the meal was finished, the various disciples had all started to walk back towards their respective rooms. Tian BuYi's angry visage filled their hearts with terror and a blanket of nervousness fell over Bamboo Peak. LingEr had looked at Shirou who still had to clean the dishes, but she had also returned to her room in the Hall of Quietude.

SuRu waited patiently as the seventh disciple washed the plates.

When Shirou had finished his duties, he followed his _shiniang_ towards Tai Chi cave. Normally, the small cavern would be full of disciples each practicing their stage of cultivation. However, with Tian BuYi's ultimatum, it was void. Only the two of them occupied the space.

SuRu let out a sigh and smiled: "Your clothes are dirty."

Shirou blinked: "_Shiniang._"

The woman continued: "You fought against one of CangSong's disciples today; I would like to know how it went."

Shirou let out a sigh: "_Shiniang_, he was very strong. I could only try to defend myself against him."

"There is nothing to ashamed of. Did he say what stage of YuQing he was at?"

"No _shiniang_."

SuRu smiled: "QiHao said that Lu _shizhi _is at YuQing's sixth stage, two whole levels above yours."

"JingYu is truly strong."

"Yes, but do not sell yourself short. To have defended yourself without a scratch; your body must be very strong."

"It is all because of master and _shiniang's_ efforts."

"Nonsense. Do not think that you're as stealthy as you think."

Shirou's eyes widened.

SuRu smiled: "I've seen you running to the bamboo clearing at night. To think you do such hard work when the rest of us are sleeping. It makes me wonder what you're practicing."

Shirou began to sweat, he was sure that his secret was out.

SuRu saw his nervousness and waved it off: "It doesn't matter, your secrets are your own. I am not my husband."

There was a moment of silence.

"_Shiniang_, was master being serious today at lunch?"

SuRu sighed: "Yes, unfortunately, this was the only solution that he had found."

Shirou's face betrayed his confusion, so, she continued: "He is a competitive person and cares deeply about his reputation, but that's not what he's really worried about."

SuRu's smile here was quite hollow: "Individuals like QiHao are almost impossible to get nowadays… Among all of the QingYun houses, Bamboo Peak is getting weaker and weaker. Although your master's is very power and cultivated, his disciples often get teased by the other house-heads.

"Your master is a very emotional man and so his heart had a lot of trouble taking all the teasing. He also worries that one day, when he leaves for good… Bamboo Peak will never be able to come back and regain its standing. He won't be able to face all of the ancestors of Bamboo Peak. All of the burdens are on him, its actually very miserable."

SuRu had started to pace around the cavern: "When LingEr had first shown interest in cultivation, that was the happiest I've ever seen your master. At that moment, he felt like some of the weight on his shoulders had been lifted. Even still, he doesn't want LingEr to take the mantle from him, he feels that it's too heavy of a burden.

"Now, he's been searching for a successor for a while. Even though your Da _shixiong_ is YuQing's level five, it is still not high enough to stand next to the other masters like CangSong. So, when he brought you here, he had secretly placed some of his hope in you."

Who knew that the pudgy master carried such a burden?

Shirou looked down at the floor: "_Shiniang_…"

"When QiHao had told him that JingYu was level six in YuQing, he felt as though part of his dreams were crushed. You might not realize this, but you are extremely gifted Shirou. Even if you want to disagree, this is not an opinion; this is a fact."

SuRu stopped and stared seriously at Shirou: "So now the question on both you master and _shiniang's_ mind is why. You clearly work hard and you have an abundance of spiritual potential. So why is it that you have fallen so far behind JingYu when you are his equal."

Shirou had no words.

SuRu shook her head: "I don't mean to interrogate you. I already said it, your secrets are your own. My husband thought that the solution would be for all of your _shixiongs_ to develop their cultivation, however, I thought of a different solution."

She flicked her delicate wrist upwards; a wall of wood had barricaded the exit of the Tai Chi cave.

"While your master wants you to develop spiritually. I believe that there is something that is fundamentally preventing you from doing so. Instead of hitting your head against a wall for a year and a half, I will instead train your battle sense."

Her eyes softened: "You're the only one out of all of the disciples here at Bamboo Peak who I can trust with this, even my LingEr. You're the only one who can take my guidance without complaint. I'll ask you this. Are you willing to learn this way?"

In an instant, Shirou's heart knew the answer to the query. Through the practice of Brahman Wisdom and his own training his body had grown abnormally strong. His willpower was the strongest out of all the disciples. He would be the only one to do this.

His eyes sharped and focused on his _shiniang_. The muscles in his body coiled for battle. He shifted his posture and widened his stance.

Softly he said: "_Shiniang_ is very wise. This seventh disciple accepts!"

SuRu's smile was beautiful.

She waved her arm; a torrent of wood surged towards the seventh disciple.

* * *

What SuRu had admitted in the Tai Chi Cave was only truth.

In QingYun, it is well known that Bamboo Peak was the weakest of all the houses by a considerable margin. The highest cultivated disciple was Song DaRen and even he was only at Pure Essence YuQing's fifth level. Already, within the span of five years, JingYu had eclipsed his accomplishments.

If one were to compare additional disciples, Bamboo Peak would only appear weaker and weaker. Not only did Tian BuYi's house not have a high ranked disciple, it also didn't have many to begin with.

Despite this, all of the other house-heads knew the legendary power that both Tian BuYi and SuRu commanded. They were highly accomplished in cultivation and martial prowess. Having applied their cultivation techniques for martial purposes, there was no question that they were the strongest individuals in combat.

Though she was known throughout QingYun for her cultivation and martial prowess, SuRu was also very well known for her wisdom and shrewd mind. Her intelligence when combined with her cultivation progression made for a powerful opponent. In battle, she is rather frightening.

Thus, no one in QingYun dared underestimate, Tian BuYi or SuRu.

SuRu had noticed all of the minute details about her _shidi_ throughout the years. There were things that didn't quite make sense. Whenever she had struck his body during guidance, she had felt as if there was too much energy contained in his body. Fundamentally, something was strange with Shirou.

When JingYu had shown and fought against him, Shirou was able to make it out of the encounter without a single scratch and only with dirty clothes.

That should not have been possible, yet, she wouldn't let this opportunity idly pass.

Her husband's burdens were heavy. Shirou seemed like he had large shoulders.

* * *

The following day Shirou had returned to the Tai Chi cave at dawn. SuRu was already there waiting for him. In her hands was a small wooden box and she beckoned him over.

Inside of the box was a small green tear-shaped object. It was small and would fit comfortably in his palm.

"Shirou, do you know what this is?" SuRu asked, a genial smile on her face.

The boy shook his head: "No _shiniang_."

"This is the Esper Celestial Tear, one of the Nine Imperial Regalia. Your master was told to take care of it. I know that you still don't have an Esper, so I want you to take it."

Normally, a disciple would travel a year after progressing past YuQing's third level. However, Shirou was still very young and only fifteen years old. Tian BuYi and SuRu were concerned for the boy's safety alone and thus had not asked him to journey. Unfortunately, this meant that he didn't possess an Esper.

"_Shiniang_ I cannot accept this."

SuRu rolled her eyes: "I am not asking you to accept; I am giving this to you." She forcibly shoved the box containing the small tear into his hands.

Shirou could only stare at the object in wonder.

SuRu explained. "If you're going to participate in the Seven Peaks Tournament you will need an Esper; all the high-level cultivators use one. Originally, your master and I had planned for you to journey out a year before the tourney, but with yesterday's events there has been a change of plans.

"We decided that we cannot waste a year currently for you to wander the world. If you wish, you may make your own Esper after the Seven Peaks Tournament, but for now you will stay at Bamboo Peak and train. Your master and _shiniang_ have high hopes for you. Do you understand?"

"Yes _shiniang_."

"Good." SuRu smiled. Her eyes then fell onto the box in Shirou's hands. "Celestial Tear is unlike any of the other Espers in QingYun. It is said that is allows the owner's imagination to take form. It is not an active Esper in the sense that it will fight for you, but it will augment your abilities. Espers like Dragon Slayer and Frozen Melody are very powerful, but they are not very flexible like this one.

"Celestial Tear is much weaker in comparison to those two, but it's far more adaptive. Your imagination will be the end of its potential. It's not an easy Esper to use and requires a strong body and a stronger mind."

Shirou nodded: "I understand."

SuRu smiled again before her face became serious: "Good. Now take it out of the box; today we will learn only the basics."

* * *

Now, two years – actually one and a half – passed by quickly. Shirou, under SuRu's constant instruction, had grown into a seventeen-year-old young man. His body was much taller than LingEr's now; she only came to his mouth.

During this time, under Tian BuYi's decree, each of the Bamboo Peak disciples needed to practice their cultivation, except for BiShu, who was traveling. Only Shirou was exempt from constant meditation, SuRu had instead opted to make him stronger by beating him down in combat.

His progression with the Esper Celestial Tear had a rocky start. Initially, he couldn't conjure anything in his mind despite performing the process as SuRu had described. The _shiniang_ seemed to understand and only affirmed that the development would be slow. He had cycled through the elements – fire, water, earth, wood – but none of them seemed to work.

It was when he got to metal that he found resounding success.

One day, during training, Shirou had successfully defended himself from SuRu's assault with the Esper. He had conjured a mesh of blades to defend against her wood element's sharp lancing strikes. It was not very large and had shattered almost immediately, but he had finally used the Esper's properties successfully.

SuRu was excited at the development and that she had him attempt to create different objects and elements. Yet, the only thing that would actuate and solidify were blades. Those created with the metal element were the easiest for him to conjure; other elements took both time and energy.

Nevertheless, it was a huge step forward. From that day his usage of Celestial Tear had only grown more and more profound. The Esper now hung around his neck on a golden chain; a gift from SuRu.

* * *

At night, he still practiced the Fu Brahman Wisdom. LingEr visited him somedays and he wouldn't be able to practice on those occasions. Surprisingly, he didn't mind the interruption anymore and looked forwards to spending time with his _shijie_. He attributed the sensation to something akin to withdraw; he had spent five years in her constant company and had rarely seen her outside of meals for the last two.

The year and a half had been very kind to LingEr; her beauty was undeniable now. Ever since that day when QiHao had visited the Bamboo Peak, she had been extremely affectionate. Once again, he attributed it to the fact that she was not able to see him as often.

He knew that had been a lonely child; the recent isolation must have reminded her of those times. Thus, he accepted her embraces and returned her contact. He was willing to support his _shijie_ though this time. She must have been very lonely all alone in the Hall of Quietude.

Shirou had come from his morning training and was now in the kitchen preparing lunch. Something hit head his from behind; it was a pine cone. He could only sigh. XiaoHui, for some reason, loved to throw these at people now.

He turned to the entrance of the kitchen and said: "XiaoHui, what are you doing? Don't let me catch your or else… oh, you are…ah! Sixth _shixiong_!"

Shirou's eyes widened when he saw a man instead of a monkey standing at the door. It was BiShu, a bag on his shoulder and a smile on his face.

BiShu carefully looked at Shirou and said: "Wow, after just a few years, you've already grown as tall as me, brat."

Shirou grinned: "Sixth _shixiong_, why were you gone for so long, we've all missed you."

BiShu met his grin with his own smile: "I'm back now, aren't I?"

"Do master and _shiniang_ know you're back?"

BiShu shook his head. "No. I just came back and saw that there was smoke coming from the kitchen. I guessed you must have been working there. Been a while since we've seen each other; did you miss me?"

Shirou nodded. BiShu patted his head and suddenly whispered, his tone grave: "Come, go see master with me."

Shirou was confused by the request: "Why do you need me to go with you?"

BiShu explained: "Master let me travel for a single year, but then I played… no, I mean, I used an extra half a year to find quality materials for an Esper. I'm afraid master will be mad at me. Come with me."

Shirou deadpanned: "So that's why you came to see me first. Oh yeah, sixth _shixiong_, what kind of Esper did you craft?"

BiShu could only laugh hollowly, his eyes nervous and full of dread: "He, he… I just felt like seeing you first. Shirou _shidi_, come, come…" He pulled Shirou away.

After a while, both DaHuang, who was chewing a bone in the corner, and XiaoHui, who was catching a flea of the dogs back, heard a furious roar come from the Hall of Quietude."

"You, disgraceful person! Are you trying to anger me to death?!"

* * *

At dinner time, for the first time in two years, everyone was there sitting in the dining hall. Tian BuYi's face was still angry even after they had all taken their seats. Whenever people greeted BiShu they couldn't help but ask.

"Sixth, why was master so angry after he met with you."

BiShu was embarrassed by it and kept trying to switch the topic. Shirou could only grin and shake his head.

Finally, LingEr couldn't help it anymore. Turning to Tian BuYi, she asked, "Dad, sixth finally came back. Why are you so mad at him?"

BiShu slightly raised his head and looked at Tian BuYi. The pudgy master stared back at him and he was forced to lower his head again.

Tian BuYi snorted: "Sixth, why don't you show them your Esper?"

BiShu's mouth opened wide but no words came out. He looked towards SuRu for help, but she only gave him a smile: "BiShu, let them see it. Let them know what has made your master so mad."

He knew that he couldn't avoid the topic anymore. Resigned to his fate, he slowly took out his bag and took out a few items and let the lay on the table.

All of the disciples didn't blink, afraid to miss even to most minute detail. The dining hall was completely silent. On the table, there were three wooden cubes about half a fist in size each. They were white with dots carved into the surface.

They were three dice.

Everyone was stunned and, then, they all laughed.

BiShu blushed. Tian BuYi said angrily, "Rotten wood cannot be craved."

SuRu shook her head and smiled: "It doesn't matter, it's not really important. Let it be, the Esper is for him to use anyways."

Tian BuYi stared at his sixth disciple and then turned to SuRu: "How do you know he won't use it to scam people?"

BiShu was surprised and amended: "Master, _shiniang,_ this disciple would never do a dirty, dishonorable thing. It's just because I found a thousand-year-old Three-Bead Tree at ChiShui Lake south of here. The tree is very spiritual, so I used it to craft three dice. I didn't realize…"

Tian BuYi cut off his rambling angrily: "Now you're happy, right? Hmph, that's great, you've crafted a gambling tool. The Seven Peaks Tournament is only a month away. When you show up on the stage with this thing, how I be able to save face?"

BiShu didn't dare to speak but SuRu shook her head: "BuYi, it is what it is. Don't force him. You still remember Wan _shixiong_…"

Tian BuYi stiffened his back and turned to SuRu. The woman sighed: "BiShu, you know that your master and I would never force you to craft a sword like the _shixiongs_ of the other houses. Espers, however, are still a subject of major concern. You need to act accordingly."

BiShu looked back at Tian BuYi and saw that his master was still unhappy. He didn't dare to speak much. He quickly nodded: "Yes, yes."

SuRu looked at her husband again and then addressed everyone: "Time passed so quickly… Already the next month is the Seven Peaks Tournament. At that time, we will all go to the main house Widow's Peak. Make sure you are prepared."

Then, her beautiful, gentle face grew very serious. She quickly added, "This time, do no disappoint your master and I. Got it?"

"Yes!" all of the disciples immediately answered.

* * *

Now, that morning, everyone at Bamboo Peak was excited for the Seven Peaks Tournament. The disciples were especially excited and each one of them had a smile on their face. Although there was some nervousness, it was covered by the excitement.

Within the group, only first DaRen, second DaYi, third Dali and fourth DaZhi had participated in the previous tournament. Fifth DaXin and sixth BiShu were relatively new students. Of course, Shirou and LingEr had never been there before; the event was every sixty years.

As Tian BuYi and SuRu made the final preparations. LingEr pestered DaRen, who had the most experience, about the event.

"Da _shixiong_, are there really that many members attending the Seven Peaks Tournament?"

DaRen nodded: "Correct. The Seven Peaks Tournament is the most important event in QingYun. Anyone who can represent their house in the tournament is a talented student. This is not mentioning the exciting battles that will take place."

Fourth DaZhi overheard the two talking and walked over. He winked at LingEr and smiled: "_Shimei_, you might not know, but Da _shixiong_ isn't telling you something."

LingEr asked: "Ah? What is it, fourth _shixiong_?"

DaZhi smiled: "Being crowned the winner and standing in the middle of the platform while listening to the applause of hundred of people: you cannot help but feel proud. But, if a young beautiful _shimei_ from one of the other houses admired and cheered for Da _shixiong_, isn't that a more joyful event in one's life?"

Then, he turned to DaRen and asked: "Da _shixiong_, aren't I right?"

DaRen blushed.

LingEr saw the pink enter his face and cheekily added: "Da _shixiong_, why is your face red?"

DaRen shook his head hard and kept muttering: "No, no, my face did not turn red…"

DaZhi coughed and saw the rest of the disciples had gathered around them. Shirou and BiShu were confused, but DaYi and DaLi were both smiling.

Fourth said: "Ah, second _shixiong_ and third _shixiong_ are both here. I fear that my memory isn't what it used to be these days. I think it was at the previous tournament, when Da _shixiong_ won twice in a row and entered the third round, there was a young, pretty _shimei_. Um… I forgot her name…"

Second DaYi added: "Ah, you're right, but I can't remember it clearly. I think she is a _shimei_ from Bamboo Heights. Her face was very pretty, but I can't remember her name…"

Third DaLi said: "We might have all forgotten her name, but we can still remember that she was the one who clapped the loudest and flirted with Da _shixiong_."

Everyone laughed except DaRen.

LingEr began interrogating: "Da _shixiong_, who is this _shijie_ who was being so nice to you?"

DaRen was embarrassed. He stared at fourth and hollowly smiled: "No, no… There was no such thing. Don't listen to your fourth _shixiong_. Bamboo Heights' WenMin _shijie _was just cheering for me because of _shiniang_."

"Hoh?" DaZhi immediately said: "Da _shixiong_, this is truly odd. Second, third and I have all forgotten her name. How come you were able to remember and recall it so fast? But I suppose Da _shixiong_ felt WenMin _shijie's_ kindness that day…"

There was another round of laughter at DaRen's expense. The first had realized he had worded his answer wrong. DaZhi was an expert in a battle of wits and very crafty. The more he said, the deeper he dug his own proverbial grave.

In the end, DaRen snorted and ignored them: "Idiots… I'm going to check if master and _shiniang_ are ready yet."

LingEr still wanted to ask, but DaRen ran away from them like the wind. Instead, she turned to DaZhi, her eyes filled his mischief and excitement: "Fourth _shixiong_, tell me, do you remember what WenMin _shijie_ looks like?"

DaZhi replied: "_Shimei_, aren't you always going Bamboo Heights to visit ShuiYue _shishu_ with _shiniang_? How have you never seen WenMin _shijie_? She is ShuiYue _shishu's_ favorite student."

LingEr shook her head: "Mom and I always went directly to ShuiYue whenever we went to Bamboo Heights. We rarely met with any of the _shijie _there. Come on, tell me."

Smiling, DaZhi said, "No need to hurry. Today, when we get to the main house Widow's Peak, you will most likely see her."

LingEr rolled her eyes: "No wonder why Da _shixiong_ was so excited today, he had some evil little thoughts in his head!"

The nervousness associated with the tournament was completely gone. Everyone had a round of laugher, LingEr included. But when she looked at Shirou, she was concerned. Even though the boy had a smile on his face, she could see that he was lost in thought.

LingEr grabbed his hand and pulled Shirou aside. When the two were alone, she asked, "What's wrong?"

Shirou startled as if he suddenly woke. His right hand touched his chest, his robe concealing the bead and tear underneath.

He finally responded: "I am fine, LingEr _shijie_."

The girl shook her head: "I was going to give you an Esper, but I was too tired every time we met, so I forgot."

"It's alright. You were working hard like everyone else these past few months. Besides, _shiniang_ has helped me get one."

LingEr blinked blankly. "Eh?"

She noticed where his other hand was on his chest. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She turned her attention to the boy who could only grin sheepishly.

"Show me."

Shirou nodded quickly to her demand. He let go of her smaller hand and unclasped the golden chain around his neck. He made sure to keep PuZhi's purple bead out of her sight during the process. He took off Celestial Tear and placed it in her palm.

LingEr's eyes widened in surprise: "This is!"

Shirou nodded: "_Shiniang_ said it's your families. She called it Celestial Tear."

At his words, LingEr could only blush fiercely.

"Dad was told by headmaster to take care of this Esper… When he first started to try and get Mom's attention, he gave this to her despite the headmaster's warnings. She's treasured it ever since, more than even Phoenix Soul.

"For her to give this to you, she must already think of you as family."

Shirou could only nod densely, not really understanding the connotation. To him, he had already been part of the family of Bamboo Peak.

LingEr understood much better and her blush could only deepen the more she thought about it. SuRu's eyes must have seen her wander from her room at times during the night. Now, with this Esper, she gave LingEr her approval.

It was quite embarrassing.

Still, despite the embarrassment, her heart felt light: "Shirou… There are a lot of fun places to visit at Widow's Peak. When we get there, we'll sneak away from the others and go to them, sound good?"

Confused by her strange request, the golden eyed boy nodded. "Yes, LingEr _shijie_."

A smile bloomed across her face.

* * *

The moment between the two didn't last very long.

Fourth DaZhi suddenly said from behind the two: "Master and _shiniang_ are here."

LingEr separated herself and then the two of them turned around. Tian BuYi and SuRu were coming out from the Hall of Quietude.

Tian BuYi wore a sky-blue robe and his face was very serious. If is wasn't for his protruding belly and stout body, he would have been the ideal depiction of an admirable master. SuRu wore a light green dress and a jade flower ornament in her hair.

DaRen followed behind them with a serious expression. Yet, all of the disciples already outside could just barely reign in their expressions. Following behind DaRen were DaHuang and XiaoHui. The monkey was already sitting atop the dog's back. When he saw Shirou, it screamed: "Creek, creek" and jumped atop his shoulder.

Tian BuYi took his time and looked at each of disciples. He waved his right arm and said, "Let's go."

Red light flashed from the middle of his outstretched palm. His famous Esper Flame Spirit appeared with a flourish of fiery red light. Just as Tian BuYi was about to step forward onto the massive blade, he felt his pants get pulled on by someone. It was DaHuang. He kept swinging his head and tail; his mouth making whimpering noises. Its large eyes stared at Tian BuYi.

The short master hesitated and muttered something under his breath. Still, he waved his arm, beckoning the large dog to ride with him atop Flame Spirit. Waiting until the animal was situated and comfortable, Tian BuYi stood on the Esper and was the first to fly away.

SuRu shook her head at the sight and smiled: "Come," she said and with a flash of green light, she was brought to the sky and followed Tian BuYi's red trail.

Among the Bamboo Peak disciples, second DaYi, third DaLi and fifth DaXin's cultivation had not yet reached YuQing's fourth level and thus could not use an Esper. Shirou had conjured a massive silver blade using Celestial Tear. Since his Esper was a special case, the other had flown with first DaRen, fourth DaZhi and sixth BiShu.

He DaZhi's Esper was named Landscape Brush; really fitting for his book-worm personality. However, the most comical was still BiShu's gambling dice. When the sixth had called it forth, a sharp white light flash and the dice enlarged to ten times its previous size and started to circle around in mid-air.

Fifth DaXin looked quite worried at the prospect of riding the dice: "Sixth, are you sure that thing won't fall out of the sky?"

BiShu simply grinned, his pointed face making him look like a thief: "Fifth _shixiong_, let's make a bet than. If it falls from the sky, you win and I'll…"

"Only a fool would dare take that bet; you always lose."

BiShu could only blink sheepishly.

DaRen turned to the others and said, "Let us get going too or else master and _shiniang_ will be mad if we're late."

Those able to fly answered him and left with their Espers.

With that, DaRen drew out his own Esper, Ten Tigers. He was Bamboo Peak's oldest disciple and although his _shidis _had all crafted a variety of different objects, he had still made a sword. Ten Tigers was a yellow blade, just under four feet long and two inches wide. It was much larger than an average sword. Sadly, size did not equate to strength.

The first stepped onto his blade, and joined his brothers in the sky.

* * *

In the sky, Shirou was surrounded by clouds. The wind blew quickly across his face and felt like a razor's edge. It wasn't his first time flying, that would be with LingEr, but he still couldn't fully get rid of his nervousness.

He had never kept one of his constructs out for this long; perhaps it would disappear and he would fall. Such a morbid thought.

There would be another treasure beyond the clouds. As he and his _shixiongs_ kept ascending, they eventually broke past the cloud cover. The blue sky, the same hue as a deep ocean was so pure and boundless. Breaking out of the clouds made them seem like a water spray. Long thin trails followed them but descended back down into the sea of clouds like ocean waves.

The disciples had all stopped ascending and they all headed straight to Widow's Peak.

Shirou remembered the last time he had been there seven years ago, though, he was never able to see the mountain in its entirety. It stood tall and magnificent. From the peak, one could hear the ringing of bells echoing over the sea of clouds. The Widow's Peak seemed like a stairway to heaven.

A countless number of colorful lights gathered near the mountain's peak. Their number grew the closer to Widow's Peak he looked. It was the lights of other disciples' Espers. Due to the five elements, they all came with different colors. Shirou himself was rather plain in this regard; a simple gray trail behind him. The other lights rushed towards the mountain's peak like colorful rain.

* * *

Eventually, Shirou arrived at the Widow's Peak.

As soon as he had landed XiaoHui, who had been perched on his shoulder the entire ride, jumped off and started to jump around in the square. Perhaps it was glad to be back on solid ground. Regardless, Shirou paid the animal no attention.

The place was extremely familiar to him and he vaguely remembered that this place was one of QingYun's Six Treasures, Cloud Sea. Even though he hadn't been here for seven years, it was exactly the same as it had been without any changes. It was still beautiful; today it was just slightly more crowded than usual.

Shirou had put it lightly; the square was very crowded. The disciples attending the Seven Peaks Tournament seemed to be temporarily staying here. If he were to estimate, he'd guess that there were approximately a few hundred people. Most of the people wore the usual QingYun robes. There were also many young people. Apparently QingYun had been training the new generation.

Even with the number of people, the square was still quite spacious. Shirou searched through the crowd. Suddenly, a bright sound called, "Shirou, we're over here!"

Shirou looked towards the direction of the sound. It was from the Bamboo Peak disciples. They were standing next to one of the incense burners in the middle. LingEr was smiling and waving at him.

Shirou responded and walked towards the group; XiaoHui had returned to his perch. Shirou looked around and saw that the disciples from the other houses were all standing in groups. They were all happily chatting; all seemed to be looking forwards to the tournament.

LingEr asked him: "Was the trip fine, Shirou?"

He nodded: "It was very beautiful, LingEr _shijie_."

The woman in red giggled to herself: "I'd imagine so. Last time you flew it was to chase a thieving monkey."

XiaoHui seemed to moan in grief. It had already been two years!

DaRen then asked: "Fourth _shidi_, where are Master and _shiniang_?" The voice was loud and booming coming from his large frame. He had raised his voice to be heard over the crowd.

Fourth DaZhi replied: "We followed master and _shiniang_ to the square. From there, one of the members of the main house led master and _shiniang_ over to Crystal Hall. They said that it was a meeting between the seven-house head to discuss some of the tournament's details. Master ordered us to stay here and wait for him."

DaRen nodded and he waved his arms, beckoning his _shidi_ to gather around him. His eyes darted around. Then he whispered, "I have seen many new faces from the other houses. You guys got here than me; did you learn anything?"

Fourth DaZhi shook his head and replied, "Nothing you didn't notice _shixiong_. The new houses have recruited many new people."

Second DaYi looked around: "So many new disciples but, I guess when we go on stage tomorrow, we're going to be facing the older cultivated _shixiongs_. They are the ones who have the experience."

DaRen sighed resignedly: "Second _shidi, _that might not always be the case. Do you still remember that young disciple, JingYu, from Dragon Head Peak?"

DaYi was startled. Everyone had become silent. How could they not have remembered Tian BuYi's angry decree that day?

"What can trash do?" Someone suddenly said.

Everyone was surprised with the exception of Shirou. The golden eyed boy just let out a sigh of hopelessness. To say that LingEr disliked JingYu was a gentle statement. When she had seen Shirou be knocked back by his friend's Dragon Slayer that day, she had immediately disliked him. She had still, to this day, have let go of that grudge.

LingEr didn't let go of her resentment easily; the monkey, XiaoHui, could attest to that.

In the silence, LingEr's cheeks grew pink. She had said her thoughts out loud. She attempted to say face by saying, "If he doesn't come to the tournament, it will be fine. However, if he is attending, he'd best meet me on the stage. We'll see how strong he is then."

The Bamboo Peak disciples looked at each other with concern.

BiShu's wits were sharp and replied: "_Shimei_ is right. If the two of them meet… He, he… _Shixiongs_! Let's have a bet on who's going to win."

"Get lost!" Fifth DaXin kicked him away. A comical moan of pain came from BiShu's mouth.

DaRen smiled at their banter. The wave of despondence he had accidentally introduced was gone. Just as he was about to respond, he heard a small gasp from behind him.

A soft feminine voice said: "Song _shixiong_, long time no see."

DaRen's spine straightened and his body stiffened. The voice was like an ethereal melody to his ears. He had turned around, fast as lightning, and saw five or six female disciples standing there. From their clothing, it appeared that they were from Bamboo Heights, the house that only accepted women.

A beautiful lady was in the front leading them; a graceful smile on her face. Second DaYi, third DaLi and fourth DaZhi all had rather devilish smiles on their faces. Shirou shivered at the sight and backed up from the scheming men. LingEr had only giggled at his response and she walked over to his side.

The two of them turned towards DaRen and saw that the imposing man had a silly smile on his face. It appeared that he couldn't form the words on his mind.

The three other disciples that had attended the last tournament were just standing there waiting for the show to begin. However, DaRen was just standing there dumbly with his goofy smile. The Bamboo Peak disciples were growing impatient and even the Bamboo Heights disciples had started giggling.

The lady in front blushed slightly and tried again. "Song _shixiong._"

DaRen was still shocked dumb. Fourth DaZhi couldn't take it anymore and said: "Ha, ha… WenMin _shijie_! We haven't seen each other for many years. How are you?"

WenMin turned her attention from DaRen for a moment and smiled genially: "Ah! You are He DaZhi, He _shixiong_?"

Fourth DaZhi nodded: "Wen _shijie_ has an excellent memory. We have only met once sixty years ago and yet you still remember me."

WenMin responded: "He _shixiong_ was fighting against a powerful opponent in the last duel. You showed us all your surprising skill, of course I will remember.

He DaZhi blushed at the praise. At the previous Seven Peaks Tournament, he had faced a strong opponent from Widow's Peak for the first round. Even though he had tried his best, he still lost. Tian BuYi hadn't scolded him and seemed proud of his display, but he it was still rather shameful to be knocked out the first round.

DaZhi responded to her kind words: "Let's not mention my past history. My cultivation progress will never be able to match Wen _shijie_ and our Da _shixiong_." Here, his face turned rather sly: "By the way, after the tournament, our Da _shixiong_ has often thought of you."

WenMin's face grew a tad pink but she didn't reply. Her eyes flitted to DaRen as the _shimeis_ behind her laughed. She had remembered DaRen as a brave, but now he seemed like a stuttering, shy young man.

DaRen had snapped out of his revelry: "No… no, when did I often…"

"What?" A young lady behind WenMin cut in before DaRen could finish: "Does that mean… You don't miss our WenMin _shijie_?"

DaRen peeked at WenMin and their eyes had met for an instant before they both retreated.

Tian BuYi's first disciple blurted: "No, no. I did miss her…"

He was cut off but the sound of laughter.

Every one of the Bamboo Peak and Bamboo Heights disciples laughed. The girls behind WenMin had laughed the loudest and caused some of the other houses' disciples to look at them strangely.

He DaZhi waited for the laughter to be gone and told the women from Bamboo Heights: "_Shijies_, actually our Da _shixiong_ didn't mean that he didn't miss WenMin _shijie_. He's just not thinking about her often…

"Then what is it?" Someone from Bamboo Heights asked.

A smiled crept up on third's face: "He cannot be thinking of her often. His mind is completely enamored. Every second, his body and mind think about her!"

Amidst the boisterous laughter of the Bamboo Peak disciples and giggle from Bamboo Heights, DaRen glared murderously at his fourth _shidi_. He looked at WenMin and was relieve that she wasn't mad.

He murmured: "WenMin _shijie_, they were just joking, please don't listen to them."

WenMin smiled. She turned around and held one of her _shimei_ who was laughing so hard she almost fell. After she had regained her balance, WenMin turned back to DaRen: "Then tell me how your heart feels."

DaRen could only dumbly stutter, "I, I, I…" His thoughts escaped him. Looking at his face, the other girls starting laughing again. WenMin could only shake her head and shoot him a glare. She turned her attention to LingEr and, consequentially, Shirou. She noticed how the girl was essentially hanging off of him and she smiled.

She was allowed her fun as well.

WenMin said: "You must be LingEr _shimei_?"

LingEr blinked in surprise: "Yes. Wen _shijie_, how do you know me?"

The older woman smiled: "You often come to our Bamboo Heights to visit master with Su _shishu_. We've all known you for a while. You haven't come for a while; you've grown more beautiful."

LingEr walked up to the other woman, grasped her hand and smiled: "How can I ever be able to compare to WenMin _shijie's_ beauty?"

Her voice turned into a whisper: "You know, my Da _shixiong_ is quite enamored with you."

WenMin peeped at DaRen. The silly smile was back on his face. She shook her head and quietly replied: "Your Da _shixiong_ has wood for brains."

LingEr chuckled, but on WenMin's face grew a teasing grin. "But I see that LingEr _shijie_ knows the feeling very well."

The Bamboo Heights disciple's eyes flicked to Shirou who was just staring out into the square.

A warm feeling entered LingEr's cheeks as she adverted her emerald eyes.

"It's rather difficult at times…" She muttered softly.

WenMin only shook her head and whispered: "Men like your Da _shixiong_ and him… they are utterly clueless. You have to be direct to get their attention."

It was with this statement that she dragged a fully embarrassed LingEr back to the group of Bamboo Heights disciples. Her face continued to grow red as the women gossiped and teased. Every so often they would laugh and LingEr's face would shy away or dart to Shirou. They had all forgotten about DaRen and the others.

DaRen still wanted to speak to WenMin, but words still escaped his mind. He was still stuck in the same spot. Even Shirou had shook his head.

BiShu suddenly said, "Huh? A lot of people have arrived."

Shirou was curious and turned his head towards the commotion. A group of about thirty people were coming towards them. All of them wore pristine white clothing; each of them proud and stunning. There was a perfectly handsome face leading them: QiHao.

Shirou stared at them expressionlessly. Fourth DaZhi suddenly laughed: "Dragon Head Peak was expected to bring so many people."

QiHao also saw the Bamboo Peak disciples and quickly walked towards them. The retinue behind him soon followed. He held his hands in front of him and saluted: "Song _shixiong_, we meet again."

DaRen didn't want to seem impolite so he returned the gesture: "Qi _shixiong_, you have come as well. I wonder, are you going to join the tournament?"

QiHao smiled: "I did not want to come, but master insisted that I still needed to compete to help my cultivation. He ordered me to join; I took a spot."

DaRen nodded: "That's great. With Qi _shixiong's _talent, victory will most assuredly be yours."

QiHao shook his head and replied: "Song _shixiong_ flatters me."

While the two of them exchanged pleasantries, Shirou's eyes combed through the disciples behind QiHao. After a moment, JingYu's eyes, which were also searching for his own, met with Shirou's. The other Grasstemple villager made his way out of the crowd.

After a while, JingYu asked: "Shirou, you've joined this tournament?"

The red-haired boy responded: "Yes, master and _shiniang_ have deemed my skills adequate to compete. What about you?"

"I've joined it as well."

The two of them moved to different topics. Without any elders here, they could talk about anything they wanted to. At some point, Shirou's eyes had glanced to the side and saw QiHao greet the women from Bamboo Heights. He saw the handsome man talk to LingEr; his face furrowed into a slight frown.

He didn't understand what this strange spiteful feeling was.

JingYu was surprised to see such an expression on his old friend's face and followed his eyes: "Shirou, what's wrong?"

Shirou snapped out of the mood, his face neutral again. He shook his head: "Nothing."

For some reason, his eyes would keep flicking back to QiHao.

The Dragon Head Peak disciple QiHao was in front of LingEr and WenMin. He greeted LingEr first: "Tian _shimei_, do you still remember me?"

LingEr's face scrunched up like she ate something sour. She had been chatting with WenMin and the other Bamboo Heights disciples. All of a sudden, QiHao's perfect face appeared in front of her.

Her voice turned neutral: "Yes, hello Qi _shixiong_."

WenMin saw the interaction between the two; it was best to keep things civil and polite.

Thus, she asked QiHao directly: "Qi _shixiong_, why do you only recognize Tian _shimei_? Are we, the Bamboo Heights _shimei_ not worthy enough for you to remember?"

The girls behind her had started to ask the same thing. She met LingEr's eyes and saw that the girl gave her a thankful smile.

The flawless man said: "What do you mean Wen _shijie_? How could I possible dare be impolite to Bamboo Heights' _shijie_?"

WenMin chuckled: "Qi _shixiong_ has joined the Seven Peaks Tournament once again. Surely you are determined to win?"

QiHao's eyes brightened: "At the previous tournament, I remember Wen _shijie_ was victorious for three rounds but lost to Xiao YiCai _shixiong_. After sixty years of practice and ShuiYue _shishu's_ careful instruction, you've earned the title of Bamboo Heights' best student. It must be you who will become the champion."

WenMin smiled: "No, no. How could I dare compete against Qi _shixiong_? As for the title of Bamboo Heights' best student, I am not worthy of it."

QiHao's face finally frowned: "Wen _shijie,_ you are too modest."

WenMin smiled: "Nope. Master ShuiYue's knowledge is limitless, but my mind is too dull I'm was not chosen to get secret instruction from my master. My house has another talented _shimei_, Qi _shixiong_, you need to be careful."

QiHao's face seemed excited. He had returned to his perfect smile: "Incredible. To be able to defeat Wen _shijie_, this person must be a brilliant prodigy. I look forwards to meeting her."

WenMin chuckled and nodded. She then pulled LingEr to her side. The conversation was over.

At that time, a whistle came from the heavens and rang through the square louder than a boom of thunder. The few hundred QingYun disciples all looked above them. A soft red light hovered above them and they could see that a disciple from Widow's Peak standing atop a red sword.

He announced: "All _shixiongs_, the Heads of the Houses and Headmaster have delivered orders: All _shixiongs_ who are participating in the Seven Peaks Tournament, please, come to Crystal Hall."

* * *

A/N: And, thus, this chapter is concluded.

I gave Shirou a discount version of Gradation Air in this chapter. I am making a distinction between his projection ability and the Esper's ability to essentially perform Gradation Air. Introducing Shirou's last component for Projection was rather annoying; I had though how I could introduce it naturally. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that someone could naturally just stumble across it in such a short span of time.

Thus, I gave him a crutch for the time being. Who knows maybe eventually he'll be able to perform the magecraft without the Esper's assistance.

Lots of fluff in this chapter. Fate is not a light-hearted series and Zhu Xian is not a light-hearted novel, so enjoy these days while you're able to Shirou.

Next chapter the tournament starts proper. We will introduce the second romantic interest.

Thank you for reading to the end.


	5. Seven Peaks - 1

A/N: In this chapter, I try to write something deeper with more future connotations. We get some blabbing about the tournament and the Headmaster makes a long speech. We see two of the tournament fights and meet some new faces.

We especially meet a rather frosty girl.

For those of you wondering when/if Shirou will be getting his memories back, I have the moment when he begins to dream of blades already planned out. Unfortunately, it will come after the tournament. If you read whatever the headmaster blabs, I'm sure you will know where we'll be going afterwards.

As for this chapter, there's a lot of foreshadowing and potential future implications. I'm sure that more discerning readers already know what's going to happen in terms of plot.

Some rough translations

FenXiang - Incense Valley

LianXue - Bloodforgers

KongSang - The mountain where Confucius was allegedly born

* * *

Seven Peaks – 1

The announcement had caused a disturbance among the assembled disciples. The square was filled with the sounds of hushed whispering. Eventually, some people began to leave the square and ascend the Rainbow Bridge.

Shirou had thought that the disciples with higher cultivation would fly directly towards Crystal Hall but, evidently, he was mistaken. No one had the intention of flying; everyone simply walked.

He walked with JingYu. DaRen and the rest of the Bamboo Peak disciples followed behind the two. Looking around he saw LingEr walking with WenMin and the other Bamboo Heights disciples. Their eyes met and she gave him strangely shy smile.

As for the members of Dragon Head Peak, about seven or eight people came out from the crowd, but they didn't venture towards the Rainbow Bridge. Instead, the greeted various disciples from various other houses. QiHao was especially enthusiastic in this venture; he was very familiar with all of the disciples' names. Everyone had smiled at him.

"Qi _shixiong_ is very good at making friends." JingYu supplied upon noticing where Shirou was looking. "He's highly cultivated and is Master CangSong's confident. Everyone respects him."

Shirou just nodded slowly.

They had reached the end of square and were now before one of QingYun's Six Treasures, Rainbow Bridge. Seven years ago, Shirou and JingYu had walked here in the wake of a disaster. Revisiting this place again brought their minds mixed feeling.

Stepping on such superb craftmanship one couldn't help but feel awed. Clear water ran down the sides and still managed to reflect the seven colors of the rainbow. Yet, their first entry into QingYun was not a pleasant one. The celestial bridge had only been associated with feelings of intense grief prior to this day.

All in all, the ignorant children from seven years ago had become fine QingYun disciples.

The two of them, Shirou and JingYu, now walked at the rear of the crowd. In the mass of people, they had lost sight of DaRen and the rest of Bamboo Peak. LingEr was also nowhere to be seen along the retinue from Bamboo Heights.

JingYu let out a sigh, "Seven years…" as if he was remembering their first foray into the faction.

Shirou remained silent and just kept walking forwards. The sight before him was the same as that day. As they climbed higher up onto the Rainbow Bridge, the clouds gradually sank beneath their feet. The sea of white gave birth to a beautiful, clear blue sky.

As if reminded by the great expanse, Shirou suddenly asked: "Why don't we fly up there?"

JingYu raised an eyebrow and seemed a bit surprised: "You truly don't know?"

Shirou shook his head: "Master and _shiniang_ were too busy with guidance to teach me history or customs. You made quite the impression that day, you know?"

JingYu let out a huff of air: "Why am I not surprised… Disciples are forbidden to fly near the Crystal Hall. QiHao told me it's to respect the headmaster and the previous heads, so we need to walk into a holy site like Crystal Hall.

"Also, when the founder established the QingYun clan, he created a powerful magical array atop Widow's Peak called Regenesis Sword Array. Any who dare fly above Widow's Peak will be instantly slain by it."

Shirou was surprised: "I see. So that's why even the skilled disciples don't fly here. Is that Regenesis Sword Array really that powerful?"

JingYu looked at the mountains peak before answering: "I haven't seen it either, however, it must be powerful. From what master has told me, it was passed down since the times of the founder. Master QinYe later added onto its power. With that, no one has ever come to Widow's Peak to harass us."

Shirou also looked towards the magnificent mountains peak: "Amazing…"

As they continued to talk, they walked across the Rainbow Bridge with the rest of the tournament's participants. Shirou flicked eyes over these people. There were about sixty people. A majority were male and only thirteen or so were female. Most of the females were wearing the dresses associated with Bamboo Heights.

But regardless if they were male or female, they were all filled with a certain loftiness. The men were dignified and handsome; the women were polite and beautiful. One could not help but feel like they were in the presence of nobility. It didn't matter what kind of person saw this group, they would all have said that QingYun had worthy successors and a bright future.

Beyond the Rainbow Bridge was the QingYun's spiritual beast guardian, Water Kirin's, pond. Unlike seven years ago, the primordial beast 'Master Spirit' wasn't lurking within the water's depths, but was already lazily laying down next to the pond. It was a familiar sight; the lazy appearance had not changed in the slightest.

As the various QingYun disciples got off of the bridge, they bowed towards the enormous beast before continuing onwards to the Crystal Hall. Seeing the slovenly guardian brought back an unpleasant memory.

JingYu whispered to Shirou, "Do you remember our first time here?"

Shirou nodded: "Yeah, I remember getting soaked. Seeing it for the first time had me frightened."

JingYu smiled: "Don't worry, I was the same. When have we ever seen something like it when we were still in Grasstemple; I had thought the world's largest animal was a mountain bear."

Shirou gave a light chuckle.

The two of them now walked down from Rainbow Bridge and arrived at the green pond. They bowed towards the Water Kirin. The beast however, was fast asleep before this entire business had even begun; It didn't react to anyone. Its snores were as a loud as thunder. Surely, it didn't know that two young disciples had bowed to it.

None of the two expected the beast to react. They continued to the steps leading to Crystal Hall.

JingYu suddenly said: "Shirou, when I visited Bamboo Peak, we had left in such a hurry. I didn't have time to congratulate you on your cultivation."

Shirou shook his head: "It is all because of master and _shiniang_ that I am as far along as I am. I remember my _shiniang_ telling me that you were on YuQing's sixth level; far more impressive than me."

JingYu replied: "Even if I am ahead of you, your accomplishments are still very impressive. I've heard from my Master CangSong that you're on YuQing's fifth level yourself. Do not sell yourself short."

Shirou's eyes furrowed; how had CangSong known he had progressed? Not even LingEr knew.

There had been many strange oddities in the past seven years; Shirou's inquisitive and shrewd mind had quickly picked up on them. He reminded himself of Thunderblade and the massacre of Grasstemple Village. His _shixiongs_ all preached that QingYun was the wellspring of good. Yet, from this wellspring some foul water was drawn. He was not naïve enough to believe things to be so simple.

The complete lack of progression on the investigation had only given more credence to this line of thought.

Shirou shook his head; he could think these poisonous lines of thought later.

He looked back at JingYu: "Still, you must have worked hard these years. I still remember you hated doing the village chores."

JingYu snorted and replied: "We cannot all be gifted with your strength. My progress is still thanks to Master CangSong and all of my _shixiongs'_ teachings."

The boy's voice deepened here: "Actually… The first few years when I practiced, I always thought of the bloody bodies in Grasstemple. I pushed myself to work harder hoping that one day I can attain vengeance for our parents and friends."

Shirou blinked. That lined of though had not even crossed his mind once. "It was hard for me too JingYu… I worked hard everyday so that my mind would not dream. You are stronger than me; able to see that cursed scene thousands of times."

JingYu settled his emotions and grinned: "Okay, let's not talk about the past. Master CangSong said you were practicing YuQing's fifth level. So, what's your Esper?"

Shirou frowned. SuRu had drilled in the concept of an information advantage over the course of that year and a half. Even if JingYu was his childhood friend, he was still a competitor and not from his Bamboo Peak.

However, he had eventually relented. Even if JingYu understood what the Esper's power was, it wasn't as if he could prepare for it. Reaching behind his neck, Shirou unclasped the golden chain. Gripping the metal in his hand, he let Celestial Tear dangle in the air. He had made sure that no-one else but JingYu would be able to see the Esper.

JingYu knew what the object was and his eyes widened. He whispered, "Amazing, to think that you have become so strong to be gifted one of the Nine Imperial Regalia."

Shirou placed the chain back where it used to be and replied, "It's no more impressive than yours. Is your Esper still Dragon Slayer?"

JingYu nodded: "Yes. That divine sword is Dragon Head Peak's most valuable treasure. Master handed me it. Besides its strength, it is also very spiritual and has helped me along with cultivation."

With that, the two continued walking in silence.

* * *

Following the group, Shirou and JingYu entered the magnificent Crystal Hall. Just by standing in the building, the memories from seven years ago assaulted Shirou's mind.

Shirou suddenly said: "JingYu."

"What?" JingYu looked at Shirou.

"Have you seen Uncle Wang at all these years"

JingYu's face scrunched and darkened. He shook his head. "No. Today is also my first time returning to Widow's Peak. However, I asked Qi_ shixiong_ about him three years ago. I heard that he was still crazy and runs around Widow's Peak all day. However, with the care of the _shixiongs_ here, I feel that he should be fine."

Shirou was silent for a moment and said, "When this contest is over, I want to see him. You want to come, too?"

JingYu nodded: "Yes, I also want to see him."

All of a sudden, a green figure passed through the hall. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen had entered. He walked to the head of the hall and turned around. His eyes scanned over the gathered disciples. When he was finished, he kindly said: "Everyone is here. Good, good…"

The gathered crowd all bowed: "Headmaster."

XuanZhen smiled and walked towards his seat. The other six house heads were sitting in their respective ebony chairs. Upon sitting, XuanZhen looked towards CangSong and gave him a nod.

Thus, Master CangSong stood up and turned towards the gathered disciples. He took a step forwards and announced: "Everyone, you are all QingYun's finest disciples. It has now been two thousand years since the establishment of the QingYun clan; QingYun is the leader of Dao and the noble factions.

"However, there is a saying: Achievement is the fruit of hard work; death is the reward for laziness. Also: go against the current; if not advancing, flow backwards and retrace. Out clan's ancestors wanted something to remain for the next generation and passed us the Seven Peaks Tournament event. Now, this is already out twentieth session."

The QingYun disciples were amazed. For there to already be twenty sessions; this tradition was over a thousand years old.

CangSong was pleased to see the wonder in the disciples' eyes and continued: "Today, under the leadership of Headmaster Dao XuanZhen, QingYun has become prosperous. Numerous are the young, talented disciples and few are the events for them to display the fruit of their effort. Thus, we have increased the number of participants to sixty-four people to prevent the regret of any undiscovered talent."

Shirou could not help but look at Tian BuYi. His master was sitting next to Headmaster Dao XuanZhen. Tian BuYi's face was stoic, but his traitorous eyes glinted with impatience. Although this change was said to between the house heads, in reality it had been an agreement between XuanZhen and CangSong.

Nevertheless, CangSong continued his announcement: "Because of the larger number of participants, there have been a few changes in sortation. Everyone, look this way."

With a flourish, his arm pointed towards the right side of the hall. There was a large, red, wooden box. Cut through the top was a hole just large enough for an arm to enter.

"In this red box, there are a total of sixty-three wax beads. Each contains a piece of paper inside with a number written on it, one through sixty-three."

The disciples began to murmur. CangSong ignored the noise and continued: "After the sortation is completed, the contest will carry out based on your number. Number one will fight sixty-four, two will fight sixty-three and so on. In the second round, the victor between one and sixty-four will fight the victor of two and sixty-three and so on.

"This will continue until the final. Understood?"

The QingYun disciples were silent for a moment. Someone then shouted: "CangSong _shishu_, there are sixty-four people but why are there only sixty-three wax beads"

To his credit, CangSong looked very prepared for the question. He coughed into his hand before continuing: "The rule for this tournament is that each house is to send nine representations. The main house, Widow's Peak, will send one additional participant.

"But, ahem, because one house can only send eight representatives, we're missing a person. So, there are only sixty-three beads"

The entire hall turned their attention to the head of Bamboo Peak, Tian BuYi. He controlled his short temper admirable; his face was neutral and he remained in his seat. The assembled disciples began to murmur.

CangSong waiting for the crowd to settle down and quiet. With some resignation, he said, "However, this is not difficult to work around. Within these sixty-three wax beads, whomever draws number one will be extremely lucky. Since there is no sixty-fourth opponent, they will not need to fight in the first round."

There was outrage at this solution. QingYun was a proud clan; its rules very strict. This method of random selection was ridiculous with those standards. Yet, no one opposed what CangSong has decreed.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen stood up and the hall immediately quieted. He nodded: "Then, let us begin."

The attention of the hall was drawn to the red wooden box containing the waxen beads. The disciples from the main house, Widow's Peak, were the first to go to the box. Each put their hand into the container and took out a single wax bead one-by-one. When they were finished, Dragon Head Peak's disciples followed suit.

JingYu bid his farewells to Shirou as he got up to follow the rest of his house to the red box. Shirou's eyes lingered on his friends retreating form, but he turned his sight towards the seven heads and their various elders. Among them, there was only one unfamiliar face. It was Master ShuiYue. She had been absent from the meeting the last time he was in Crystal Hall.

Shirou often heard his _shixiongs_ and LingEr talk about this master. He heard that Bamboo Heights was a house that exclusively adopted female disciples into their ranks. Their master was extremely cultivated and thus well-known throughout QingYun. Her disciples performed well in the Seven Peaks Tournament.

Shirou looked at Master ShuiYue. She appeared to be the same age as his _shiniang_, SuRu. Her robe was white like the waxing moon.

Behind her, like Tian BuYi, there were no elders. Instead, there was a single, young female disciple. Her clothes were white like pure snow and her face soft and beautiful. Her black hair was parted at her forehead and came down to her chest. There was a long sword on her back; its sheath sky blue from tip to handle. Wave like patterns were engraved along the surface.

The young lady felt his eyes. She suddenly turned and stared at him. The girl's face was expressionless, but her blue eyes were frosty and filled with scorn. Yet, Shirou had not looked away and kept scrutinizing the beauty. Her eyes seemed to widen in recognition, however, the emotion was quickly suppressed and she quickly lowered her head.

Someone then pulled on Shirou's hand. It was LingEr: "Shirou, what are you doing? It's our turn to draw the beads."

Shirou nodded to LingEr and started walking towards the red box. His eyes flitted back towards the cold girl and their eyes had met again. This time, her glare seemed to be intense. Her eyes broke contact and darted to LingEr before she lowered her head again.

No longer looking at ShuiYue or the girl behind her, Shirou followed LingEr to the red box. Only the disciples from Bamboo Peak and Bamboo Heights hadn't gone yet. DaRen and the other Bamboo Peak disciples all picked a single bead and returned to the center of the hall. Everyone was already busy checking the number they'd drawn.

WenMin and seven other disciples from Bamboo Heights stood up and walked to the box. The girl in white whispered something to Master ShuiYue. Then, the master nodded: "Go."

The beauty responded by walking towards the other Bamboo Heights disciples. She gave an infitesimally small smile to WenMin. They then took out the remaining nine wax beads from the box.

The disciples checked their numbers and the house heads became nervous. They were all hoping that one of their disciples would draw the lucky number one and skip past the first round.

Seemingly in response to the house head's feelings, various cries came from the QingYun disciples.

"Aw, I got twenty-six."

"Mine is thirty-three, eh. What did you get?"

"Oh, mine is forty-seven, I wonder what number will be my opponent, let's see…"

After a long while, none of the disciples had claimed they had gotten the piece of paper with the number one written on it.

CangSong frowned, coughed and then asked: "Who got number one?"

His voice rang above all of the disciples' voices. The hall became silent. Then after a long time, within the crowd came a voice: "In response to Master CangSong: it is here."

Everyone looked at the voice. Shirou was standing there with a piece of paper in his hand, staring impassively.

* * *

Instantly, everyone's eyes landed on Bamboo Peak's newest disciple. Tian BuYi and SuRu looked at each other. The master of Bamboo Peak had relief in his eyes. SuRu had smiled and nodded to Shirou.

The Bamboo Peak disciples surrounded him. Fifth DaXin slapped his shoulder and said, "You stinking brat, I never knew you had such luck."

Shirou just sheepishly scratched his head. BiShu regretfully slapped his head: "I should have made a bet on who would get the number one bead. Heh, to think it was this unexpected."

"Congratulations" LingEr smiled at him. She looked down at the ground and shyly said, "Since, you're not fighting in the first round… Can you come watch my match?"

"Ho, ho!" Cried third DaLi. "When did our _shimei_ become this bold?"

LingEr blushed faintly and the Bamboo Peak disciples shared a laugh.

CangSong frowned however and announced: "Good. With that the sortation is complete. In a moment, come see me and report what number you have drawn. The results and bracket will be posted on a red board after they are ready; you will be able to check who your opponent is. Now, Headmaster Dao XuanZhen has prepared a speech."

The disciples grew silent. XuanZhen left his ebony seat and walked slowly to the front. He eyes swept across the disciples and took in their expressions. When he was ready, he began.

"Everyone, all of you are QingYun's hope for the next generation. Everyone gathered in this hall possesses great potential. In the future, some of you may even take up the position of master, elder or even headmaster."

Many of the disciples were excited.

XuanZhen smiled gently: "Of course, the road to success is not easy. To get that far and attain the seat of elder or master requires great diligence and resolve. You must all work hard."

A resounding cry: "Yes."

There was a pause before XuanZhen continued: "We, the QingYun clan, since our founding to this present day have always been a well-known just faction. Today, we are the leaders of both justice and morality, and of the noble cultivators of the world.

"In the end, we have prevailed. This good and justice has rising up in the world and, as such, evil has hidden itself away. People across the land all live peacefully because of our efforts.

"However, the fight against evil is never over. They are treacherous and vicious; the hearts of evil men never die. In recent years, there have signs of this evil preparing to rise up. In times like these, we cannot let this evil fester, the people need just defenders to get rid of this blight.

"So, everyone must focus on cultivation, strengthen you body and mind. If we are strong, then evil can find no weakness to exploit!"

A resounding affirmation: "Understood, headmaster!"

Shirou's eyes only narrowed.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen didn't see his expression however and smiled at the general reaction: "Good, good. There is one more thing I wish to announce: In order to encourage all QingYun disciples to do their best, I have discussed with the heads and elders that the victor of the Seven Peaks Tournament will receive a small prize."

The shouts of excitement echoed throughout the hall.

"The reward for this tournament is: Union Mirror."

Shirou's eyes now were narrowed in confusion. He had never heard of such an artifact. He turned towards LingEr and BiShu but he saw similar expressions of confusion on their faces. Some of the younger participants also seemed to be lost. But the older disciples, like QiHao, DaRen and WenMin, all had a rare excitement around them, their eye's lost in wonder.

LingEr noticed that DaRen knew something, she got closer and asked: "Da _shixiong_, what is the Union Mirror?"

DaRen replied lowly: "Union Mirror was the Esper of Master Wu FangZi, the tenth headmaster of QingYun. I've never seen it become; master told me it is one of our faction's treasure. It's extremely powerful. It has one unique power: if the spiritual power of the caster is strong enough, Union Mirror can reflect all attacks. The caster will be undefeatable."

Everyone's mouths opened wide. BiShu stammered, "That… that means invincible?"

DaRen could only shrug: "I am not sure how it exactly function, but master's information should not be wrong." He looked at XuanZhen, "it seems that the masters all paid a great price for the tournament…"

Everyone's face was strange. Most people swallowed. With such a treasure in front of them, their strong minds were shaken.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen stopped for a moment. He watched the disciples discussing the tournament with a smile. He let them talk for a while.

"Good; that is it. All of you return and take a rest. Tomorrow, the contest will begin."

A resounding answer: "Yes, headmaster."

XuanZhen nodded: "Go."

Now dismissed, the disciples began to leave the hall, leaving the elders and the house head behind in Crystal Hall. XuanZhen turned and smiled towards the elders: "_Shixiongs_, you should go rest too. Starting tomorrow there are a great many competitions you all need to take care of."

Some of the elders appeared young and others had wrinkles all over their faces. None of them said anything and they all left the hall.

Finally, only the heads of the seven houses were in Crystal Hall.

XuanZhen's kind smile slowly faded, his expression steeled and serious. His eyes swept through the other six people present; each had an equally serious visage.

"Okay, now only the seven of us are here."

On the right, the head of Sunrise Peak, Shang ZhengLiang frowned and asked, "Headmaster, do you have any news to tell us?"

XuanZhen nodded and slowly said: "It is about that business with YiCai."

Everyone was shocked.

* * *

When the disciples left Crystal Hall, the Water Kirin was still peacefully snoring.

After they had crossed back across the Rainbow Bridge, JingYu had said a few things and bid his farewells to Shirou. He then left and went to join the other disciples of Dragon Head Peak. Shirou had gone back to his own Bamboo Peak's group and listened to DaRen talk about things that needed to be regarded and about their lodging. As Shirou was listening to them, he was met with a sudden realization and frowned.

LingEr noticed his expression: "Shirou, what's wrong?"

Shirou looked around the square and let out a sigh: "I was talking to JingYu and I forgot about XiaoHui. Now, I have no idea where he went."

Everyone realized they haven't seen the grey monkey since they arrived at Widow's Peak. They immediately searched the square. The disciples from the other houses were already gone but there was still no sign of XiaoHui.

Shirou suddenly felt someone grab his hand. It was LingEr. She grinned and pointed: "Look."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. XiaoHui was sitting on DaHuang's back. It screamed and waved at Shirou; its other arm pointed towards the dog's mouth. In DaHuang's mouth was a bone.

DaHuang carried the monkey over and XiaoHui had jumped back onto Shirou's shoulder. Shirou patted its head and his brow furrowed: "Where did you go?"

XiaoHui grinned and pointed towards DaHuang. It used its hands to gesture at the bone in the dog's mouth.

The monkey then gestured again and pointed to the other end of the square. Shirou looked towards DaRen for help. The first disciple looked around to make sure no one was nearby. He embarrassedly whispered, "That is Widow's Peak's dining hall…"

The disciples all laughed and shook their heads. DaRen lead them to another end of the square and said: "We'll go to the dormitory now. _Shimei_ since you're a girl, we've arranged for you to join the Bamboo Height's _shimeis_. That isn't an issue, right?"

LingEr shook her head and smiled: "I wanted to talk more with WenMin _shijie_ anyways. Plus, I can say some nice words to her to help Da _shixiong_."

They laughed. DaRen blushed, pretended he had not heard anything and walked away.

* * *

In Crystal Hall, all seven of the house heads were present and had their full attention on Headmaster Dao XuanZhen.

The headmaster returned to his seat. He pondered for a moment and said: "You know the KongSang Mountain east from here?"

The house heads were startled but also confused.

Master CangSong said: "Headmaster, are you referring to the KongSang Mountain that contains the Cave of Fangs?"

XuanZhen nodded: "Exactly."

Head of Wind Peak, Ceng ShuChang, frowned: "I heard the Cave of Fangs is a natural cave immeasurably deep. The climate there is ice-cold and wet. It's home to only a countless number of bats. It is said to be home to more than a million of them inside the cave. This kind of barren place… why does _shixiong_ mention it?"

XuanZhen said: "Some of you might now know this. Even though no life travels near that place now, eight-hundred years ago it was a major hideout for evil. The climate there is just right for them to practice their curses. Later, the Dao went there and wiped them out. They fled away and left the cave deserted."

Master ShuiYue spoke coldly: "So, what are you trying to say, headmaster?"

ShuiYue was being rather impolite to XuanZhen but everyone knew that this was the way that the woman always spoke. XuanZhen also didn't really care.

The headmaster sighed: "ShuiYue _shimei_, I received a letter from FenXiang a half year ago. They say that near the Cave of Fangs there is some signs of Mo factions remaining active. They wanted to ask my opinion. After some consideration, I sent my disciple YiCai to quickly investigate KongSang Mountain.

Sunrise Peak's Shang ZhengLiang smiled: "Isn't that great? YiCai _shizhi's_ potential and cultivation had crowned him the champion of the last Seven Peaks Tournament. With him there, what could not be accomplished?"

XuanZhen smiled back: "Shang _shixiong_ is too generous. After a few months YiCai had sent back a letter. There truly were Mo people active around the Cave of Fangs. But their purpose, that is more surprising."

Everyone was surprised. Ceng ShuChang asked: "Why is that?"

XuanZhen took a deep breath before continuing.

"According to YiCai's letter, he had captured one of the Mo followers. After interrogating him, YiCai found out that the Cave of Fangs was the head quarts of the LianXue faction eight hundred years ago. During that time, LianXue was one of the five largest Mo factions. After they were defeated by out ancestors, they had fallen.

"The Cave of Fangs was also deserted following their fall. However, recently, the LianXue faction had been showing signs of rising once more. Even though all of their important members were slain in the Cave of Fangs' during the battle, there was still a secret cave that had not been found yet. It is said that are many unique treasures and Mo incantation scrolls that had not been discovered."

Everyone understood the implied threat.

CangSong laughed coldly: "Ha, an evil treasury; wishful thinking!"

XuanZhen shook his head: "It doesn't matter if this rumor is true or now. According to our records, after the battle eight-hundred years ago, we didn't find any treasure storeroom located in the Cave of Fangs. If there really is an undiscovered secret cave, I am afraid there will be an extremely vile object that we will have to be wary of."

Sunset Peak's TianYun asked: "_Shixiong,_ what is this extremely vile object. Is it really that important?"

XuanZhen lowered his voice, as if simply uttering the name would bring calamity: "Sinister Orb!"

CangSong was surprised and said: "Didn't that disappear along with Elder HeiXin's death already?"

The headmaster shook his head: "Even though Elder HeiXin is dead, that doesn't mean the Sinister Orb vanished from the world. Such an evil object like that cannot be controlled by normal people. The Mo disciples may have hidden it away since they can't use it. Elder HeiXin was from the LianXue; Sinister Orb may very well possibly be in that secret cave."

The heads were all silent for a while.

ShuiYue coldly asked: "What is the will of headmaster?"

XuanZhen said. "After I received YiCai's letter, I immediately sent messengers to inform both TianYin and FenXiang. They both replied and said that they will send their best disciples to KongSang Mountain to stop the LianXue followers."

Tian BuYi frowned: "Then you are saying…"

The headmaster smiled: "This is a rare chance for our disciples to earn some experience. There are many prodigies in QingYun, but most of them have only practices their cultivation. These years, the world is so peaceful… there hasn't been a large battle against evil for a long time.

"With this Seven Peaks Tournament, I have decided that the four contenders will be sent to KongSang Mountain to assist with the investigation. We can stop the Mo followers' plot and also allow our disciples to gain some experience. And…"

Here, XuanZhen's smile turned rather solemn: "I heard that both the TianYin Temple and FenXiang have some very talented disciples. If we don't do anything about it, we won't be able to hold our positions as the leader of good any longer. If that happens, how will I show my face to my master and ancestors!"

They all nodded in understanding; CangSong said, "Headmaster is very correct."

XuanZhen looked at the other heads and said, "Does this mean we are all in agreement?"

Another round of nods.

"Good! Then that is set. I have already prepared rooms for _shixiongs_ in Crystal Hall. Please, you may all go rest."

XuanZhen clapped his hands and a group of young disciples from Widow's Peak emerged.

"Lead the heads to their rooms."

The young disciples answered. The heads got up and bowed to Headmaster Dao XuanZhen before leaving.

* * *

The Seven Peaks Tournament was the most important event of QingYun. Widow's Peak needed to find a place to house an additional several hundred disciples. If the Bamboo Peak disciples wanted to continue in leisure, they would have to do so in their dreams. With the exception of LingEr, who was lodging with the women of Bamboo Heights, all the other seven disciples were squeezed inside one room.

In Widow's Peak, there were normally four people assigned per room.

If four occupied the given beds and three slept on the floor, there should have been enough space for them, just slightly crowded. Suddenly, someone complained: "Really, you guys kept saying how good the main house is. Now they asked seven of us to squeeze in one room, so stingy!"

It was also the case that the disciples of Bamboo Peak were rather spoiled when it came to personal space. Every person had their own room after all.

"Sixth… stop complaining. If the other _shixiongs_ hear about this, that will not end well."

"Second _shixiong_, you're sleeping on a bed, of course its comfortable. I am, however, sleeping on a freezing floor. Why don't we change positions?"

"Zzz…"

"Heh? Did you fall asleep all of a sudden and start snoring?"

"Zzz…"

"Hmph. Ah! Fourth _shixiong_, you have always been so very handsome, funny and intelligent."

"Zzz…"

"What is this… Is it really popular to fall asleep instantly nowadays? Eh, Da _shixiong_, you are always so kind, how could you let your _shidi_…"

"Zzz…"

"You… traitor... Ah! Third _shixiong!_"

"!"

There was no way this could be a snore, but rather a lion's roar. They were all surprised. Suddenly, the wall shook and someone shouted angrily from the next room: "Hey! Does everyone from Bamboo Peak snore that loud?"

The room had gone silent. After a while, someone giggled. Then the previous voice began to speak again. "Ah! Fifth _shixiong_, you…"

"What you? You, you, you… I'm sleeping right next to you! You want to switch places? I don't care, we're both sleeping on the floor anyways!"

"He, he, he… nothing. Alas, the cold floor is already bad enough, but the worst part is that there is so little space. It's impossible to be comfortable when sleeping. Shirou _shidi_ is fine, his body is… Eh?"

"Creek, creek!"

"Eh, XiaoHui? I'm stuck in the center maybe you…"

"Shut up, sixth!" They all shouted at once.

Unfortunately, Shirou wasn't here to witness this comical scene.

After dark, many of the disciples went for a walk, entranced by the beauty of Widow's Peak. But it was starting to get late now so many people returned to their rooms.

As darkness encroached on this heaven reaching peak, the moon began to shine in the clear sky.

In the middle of the square, the Cloud Sea, Shirou stood alone, watching the night sky. There had been no activities or training today and his body was still full of energy. He wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon.

His mind was swarmed with thoughts, but most of them from today's events. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen's speech had left its mark on him, but most likely not in the manner that the man had wanted. The headmaster was very adamant on his stance that QingYun was the center of all good.

Yet, if that was the case, then what constituted as good? How could one justify that good?

Shirou thought about the day that his life had changed. He remembered seeing the blue lightning of Thunderblade through heavy eyes as the poison from the Seven Tails Centipede ravaged his body. He remembered the scent of ozone and blood.

When he first learned the name of the technique from LingEr all those years ago, he was shocked. Immediately, his child mind had connected it to the event and the mysterious black man behind the massacre. However, at the time he had thought this strange man to be a traitor, a renegade that was banished.

He found out that QingYun has never banished a disciple.

The rules of the QingYun clan were very strict and punishing; a modern man might call them archaic or barbarous. The first general rule was that clan knowledge would remain within the clan. Thus, QingYun's Pure Essence would remain a secret. This applied to other clan techniques such as Thunderblade. If an elder or master discovered a disciple breaking this rule, they would be put to death without any questions asked.

There had only been three occurrences of this treason and all had been within the early days of QingYun. The party imparted the knowledge would then face an ultimatum. They would either join the QingYun faction or face extermination.

The second general rule of the clan was that relationships should only happen between members of the noble factions.

In the land, there were three major clans that claimed to be on the side of good. One was the Dao QingYun of course. The other two were the Fu TianYin Temple and Dao FenXiang. These three powers were allied with each other and supported one another to pacify the various evils in their territories. Their individual techniques were still sacred and secret.

In history, however, the victors control the narrative

There were a countless number of Mo clans in existence. Each one of them practiced their own cultivation techniques. Some were ruthless and bloodthirsty like the Headmaster Dao XuanZhen had described. Others simply found a different basis for cultivation than Dao or Fu.

Each one of them was treated with the same righteous fury by QingYun. While TianYin and FenXiang were more lenient towards Mo factions and would only eradicate them if they became a problem to the common people, QingYun took its role as the leader very seriously and eliminated the issue before it could become a threat.

_'Evil cannot be allowed to fester.'_

Thus, if a QingYun disciple is found to have any sort of relationship with a Mo, they would be banished or executed depending on the severity of their transgression. The Mo would also suffer the latter punishment if it was employed.

Was this truly justice? He still harbored his childhood goal of becoming a hero. A hero must be just and powerful and kind; he vaguely remembered himself saying those words.

Was this the justice that he would fight for?

Then, Shirou traced his thoughts back to earlier today.

There had never been a single QingYun disciple banished and only three had been put to death in the very early days. Thus, this wielder of Thunderblade had to still be a member of the QingYun. How has this righteous and just spring produced such a foul and tainted water?

That was not the worst of it. He had seen the aftermath of Grasstemple. The circumstances, in hindsight, were too unnatural. With PuZhi there, the mysterious man would not have been able to perform such a heinous act under the monk's nose. Thus, Shirou had attributed the cause to be rooted in a Mo technique.

It was the ultimate treason for the just and pure QingYun clan.

These thoughts swirled around in Shirou's brain. They were poisonous and led him through a journey of doubt and depression. Yet, though a combination of JingYu's words and the headmaster's speech, these thoughts that he though he had long since buried had resurfaced.

The golden-eyed boy could only sigh in consternation. These thoughts would do him no good right now. He turned his attention towards the sky once more. The moon was full and bright; the stars were numerous and seemed iridescent. He let his mind take in the beautiful sight and forget about the heavy thoughts that addled his brain.

He suddenly felt two arms wrap around his back. By now, he was used to this feeling; the set of arms were very familiar.

Turning around, Shirou met LingEr's gaze. The night only enhanced her beauty. Her eyes were so close to his own; he could see the moon's reflection within her emerald gaze. Her lips were upturned into a beautiful smile directed towards him.

This foreign sensation in his heart: he didn't know what it was or how to handle it.

"So, this is where you've been…" LingEr let her voice trail off.

Shirou nodded back: "Yeah, I don't think I could sleep right now. My body's not tired at all."

LingEr giggled with her melodious voice: "I know the feeling."

The girl still hadn't let go of her grip around his waist. There was a moment of silence.

"Hey… You remember what I told you before we left? I asked you about your Esper…"

A flash of recognition sparked in Shirou's eyes. "Yes."

The girl took a second to gather her wits before beginning.

"You know… The day you first arrived at the Hall of Quietude. I didn't think much of you." LingEr giggled, "You were so small and didn't know anything! I thought to myself, this person is hopeless. I was so lonely, though, so I pestered you."

Shirou looked as if he was about to speak but LingEr placed one of her fingers to his lips.

"Please let me finish… If I stop now, I'm afraid I won't have the courage to do it again."

Frowning in confusion, the boy relented.

"But after the first day, you had already chopped down the Black Bamboo and showed promise in YuQing's first level… I was so happy, I thought I had finally someone that could understand me. I think that was when I first developed an interest for you, though it was mainly from loneliness.

"Through all the years… I've seen you work so hard. It's actually kind of funny. I used to think that you were such a hopeless individual but, then, I could only think of how reliable and kind this person was.

"I think that's when I started to fall for you, even if I didn't know it. Hehe, when you gave me this hairpiece, I think that's when I first realized what this feeling was. You know, I haven't gotten many gifts before. Aside from Mom and Dad, no one else has ever given me something. In fact, that's why I got so…"

Her voice began to trail off but her eyes were thick with emotion. Shirou could only stare at the woman wrapped around him with wide eyes.

A bit breathlessly, he eventually said: "LingEr _shijie_."

At that, she seemed to turn a bit angry. "No, no… No!" Shirou was startled, LingEr continued, "Just LingEr! I've told you so many times before. I don't want to be your _shijie_ anymore!"

Alarmed, Shirou replied: "What? You can't possibly mean…"

LingEr angrily cut him off: "Not like that you fool! How can you be this dense; Wen _shijie_ was right, you do have wood for a brain."

"I love you, you idiot!"

Before Shirou could even react, LingEr had closed the gap between the two of them. She grabbed the lapels of his robe and dragged him down, even then she still had to stand on her toes. Then, she kissed him with all her might, trying to make him feel the same emotions that she was.

After a while, LingEr pulled herself away. Her face was slightly flushed from the extended kiss. She smiled beautifully as she looked at Shirou's bewildered expression.

Softly, she whispered: "Do you understand now…"

She was patient. It had taken a short while for Shirou to come out of his shock.

"Yes, LingEr. I think I do…"

Hearing her name so softly and without any titles, the girl couldn't help but cry. She whispered, "You finally said it. It may have taken a few years, but you finally said it."

She pulled him in for another kiss; he responded.

Thus, under the ardent moonlight, two had become one.

* * *

Dawn had arrived; everyone woke up.

BiShu's large thievish eyes were red and dark bags formed underneath. He kept rubbing his back and complained loudly, "Uhh… I feel as if my back was broken for the whole night. How am I going to participate in the tournament today…?"

Fifth LuXin frowned: "Sixth, don't moan. I don't feel anything wrong with my back."

DaRen said: "Right, sixth. You complained the whole night and that was still not enough? Did you hear fifth and Shirou _shidi_ complain?"

BiShu rolled his tired eyes: "Fifth _shixiong_ has hard muscles and skin. Ask Shirou _shidi_. Hey, Shirou _shidi_, why… eh? Oi, you can look more tired than that!"

Shirou finished packing up the sheets and sat in the chair next to the window, staring at the sky. DaHuang laid by his feet and XiaoHui was searching for fleas in the dog's fur.

BiShu walked to him and slapped his shoulder, startling the red-haired boy. Shirou asked: "Oh, sixth _shixiong_, what is it?"

The sixth frowned: "Shirou, why are you so lost in thought? Did you sleep well last night?"

Shirou shook his head: "I'm fine. I am well rested, sixth _shixiong_. My mind is just wander to other places."

BiShu's frown deepened in concern. Before he could ask again, fourth DaZhi cut it.

Fourth said: "Sixth, don't step into other people's business. It doesn't matter if Shirou _shidi_ didn't sleep well or what he is thinking; today, he doesn't need to duel. However, you, on the other hand, have to hurry up and get ready; don't blame anyone else if you're late."

But BiShu couldn't help worry about Shirou like an older brother. Nevertheless, heeding the fourth's words of caution, he dashed towards the other side of the room and took a basin from fifth DaXin.

He washed his small, pointed face roughly and muttered: "Hmph, _shidi_ has such a good life; look at his absent face. Really? Fifth _shixiong_, give me back the basin; I'm already late!"

"Bah, I haven't washed my face yet!"

Shirou was tired of hearing his _shixiongs_ fight over the single basin, so he walked outside. DaRen followed him and asked from behind: "Shirou _shidi_, have you washed your face yet?"

Turning around, Shirou responded: "I did, Da _shixiong._"

DaRen nodded: "Good. It's fine if you wish to go for a walk, but remember to come to the dining hall to eat breakfast. Got it?"

"Yes."

XiaoHui jumped onto Shirou's shoulder. DaHuang, thinking that the monkey was leaving, got up and lazily followed behind the two of them. As he walked through the corridor, Shirou could see the busy figures of QingYun disciples preparing for the day. After a while he had left the dormitory and arrived at the Cloud Sea.

The day was still early. Only a few disciples were walking about the square in the Cloud Sea. The crisp morning air came by and passed Shirou's cheek. It was cold.

It felt just like last night.

He could still feel her lips linger on his own even though she had already been gone for hours. For all of these years, how could he have missed such ardent affection from LingEr? Last night, after LingEr had secretly come to find him, his mind was in a state of chaos sorting out the events.

At least he now knew that LingEr loved him. Perhaps, that was this strange feeling he had started to develop for the woman. He remembered how his heart felt lighter whenever she smiled at him.

Shirou's mind was assaulting him with images from last night. Although they confused his mind, they brought great happiness to his heart; he couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on his face.

"Eh?"

Suddenly, an exclamation came from behind; It had surprised Shirou. Turning around, he saw a young QingYun disciple was standing next to him. In his hand was a golden fan with beautiful paintings of mountains and rivers. His eager, bright eyes didn't look at Shirou, but stared at XiaoHui who was perched on the boy's shoulder.

XiaoHui saw that this person in front of them was giving him a rather strange look. It got angry and tried to scratch the person with its claw. The newcomer wasn't prepared and his face almost got scratched. Fortunately, he had reacted fast; his neck bent back and dodged it.

Shirou's eyes widened and he told the monkey to stop. The person was also surprised. With his hand covering his cheek, he mumbled: "That was close…"

A bit embarrassed, Shirou quickly said: "_Shixiong_, sorry."

Unexpecting, the person in front of them didn't care. He waved his arm, dismissing the apology, and smiled: "That's alright; it was my carelessness. I forgot that Monkey Phantasms have very bad tempers; they harm people easily."

Shirou blinked and glanced at XiaoHui: "Monkey Phantasm?"

"What? You don't know that that monkey is a Monkey Phantasm?"

Puzzled, Shirou asked: "What is a Monkey Phantasm?"

The person opened his eyes wide and examined Shirou: "You don't even know it's a Monkey Phantasm. Why would you have it?"

Shirou said: "When I was training on day with my _shijie_, it stole her hairpin. We chased it then it followed me back home."

The QingYun disciple's jaw seemed to come of its hinges. He muttered in a trance: "Stole her hairpin then followed me back home… Stole her hairpin then followed me back home…"

Shirou shook his head at the strange man and began to walk away. After a few steps, the same person followed him. He had a smile on his face and whispered: "_Shidi_, oh, no, _Shixiong_, you."

It was the first time Shirou had ever been called _shixiong_. The person in front of him seemed to be at least twenty. The red-haired boy shook his head and quickly said: "Oh, I don't deserve that; just tell me what you want to say."

The person grinned: "Ho, ho! _Shidi_ is easy to approach. Let me introduce myself first. My surname is Ceng, given name ShuShu. I'm a disciple from Wind Peak. _Shidi_, your name is…"

Shirou responded: "I am Shirou, disciple from Bamboo Peak. Ceng _shixiong_, does your, uh, name mean 'uncle'?"

ShuShu seemed surprised at the question but he quickly turned embarrassed. He smiled and said, "Ah, I was not trying to deceive you! My ShuShu means books, not uncle. It's all because of my father. My mother named me YingXiong; Ceng YingXiong sounds so noble and dignified. However, my father saw that I loved to read books, so he named me ShuShu. It's already become a joke."

Shirou could only grin. The person's name was just as funny as BiShu's: "So, Ceng _shixiong_, you love to read then?"

ShuShu smiled: "That would be putting it modestly. In Wind Peak, there is no one who reads more books than I do. But, most of the time, I like to read anecdotes about strange magical creatures. It really made my dad mad. Ah, anyways, you really don't know that this monkey is a Monkey Phantasm?"

Shirou shook his head: "No, I had thought that it was just a normal monkey; a very intelligent one at that."

XiaoHui smacked Shirou's ear. The monkey seemed to know what the two were talking about.

ShuShu looked at it with admiration: "So smart."

Shirou sighed. "All this monkey knows is how to hit people."

"This monkey may seem common, but it is a rare celestial creature; it has a strong spiritual mind. Do you see the small line between its eyes?"

Shirou turned his attention to XiaoHui and looked closely. There was indeed a thin vertical line under the grey fur. One would have to pay close attention in order to discover it.

"You notice even such small details. Impressive."

ShuShu spoke solemnly: "Don't underestimate it. From what I had read, the Monkey Phantasm is a divine creature. It looked no different from a normal monkey when it is young, but it's third eye will open once it grows up. Not only is it able to use magic from the five elements, it is also able to see things from thousands of miles away. The legendary faculty of 'clairvoyance' came from the Monkey Phantasm.

Shirou took XiaoHui into his arms. He couldn't believe that this monkey had such a great history and future. No matter how he tried to envision it, XiaoHui just looked like a normal, fat monkey. It had definitely gained a few founds over a single night at Widow's Peak.

XiaoHui was bewildered why so many people were looking at himself and started to scream madly. Shirou sighed and tossed him towards DaHuang. The dog was surprised and jumped away, but settled down when he saw that it was the monkey. He laid back down and XiaoHui sat on his fur and searched for fleas.

ShuShu still looked at XiaoHui with admiration. He turned back and asked Shirou: "Shirou _shidi_ has also come to participate in the Seven Peaks Tournament?"

Shirou nodded: "What about you, Ceng _shixiong_?"

The disciple of Wind Peak smiled: "Yes. Yesterday I drew number thirty-three. What is your number? I hope that you are not my opponent today."

Shirou smiled as well: "I got number one."

ShuShu's eyes widened in surprise: "Ah, you were the Bamboo Peak disciple yesterday?"

Shirou nodded.

ShuShu already had a smile on his face: "You are so fortunate." Then he paused for a moment, "It seems that we will not meet each other until the final match. This is going to be difficult."

Shirou chuckled: "With my level of cultivation, I will be out after the second round."

The other boy stuck out his tongue: "I'm afraid that I won't even be able to pass round one."

They both laughed and continued to chat. Eventually, DaRen came over and called: "Shirou _shidi_, it's time to eat."

Shirou responded and said farewell to ShuShu. DaHuang and XiaoHui followed behind him as he walked over to DaRen.

DaRen asked: "Who was that person you were talking to?"

Shirou said: "A _shixiong_ from Wind Peak. His name is ShuShu."

DaRen was surprised: "ShuShu?"

"Hmm? What is it, Da _shixiong_?"

"That person is the Head of Wind Peak, Ceng ShuChang's, only son. He is very talented: he has a strong memory, is very knowledgeable and he is very distinguished in cultivation. He is actually one of the favorites for this tournament."

* * *

After breakfast was finished, the QingYun disciples gathered at the Cloud Sea. Hundreds of people were there.

On the large square, eight platform stages were being set up while some others finished their morning meals. Each platform was about twenty meters away from each other and shaped like an octagon; a Bagua was painted over the surface.

Next to the largest platform, Qian, there was a tall red list that displayed all of the disciple's names in gold characters. Shirou's name was at the farthest right without an opponent.

Shirou looked at the rest of the disciples from Bamboo Peak. They were all smiling except for BiShu who was complaining: "Not fair, not fair, not…"

"Shut up!" A shout came from their side and they all startled in surprise. It was Tian BuYi, SuRu and LingEr.

The Bamboo Peak disciples immediately bowed: "Master, _shiniang_!"

Tian BuYi nodded and didn't say anything. SuRu said: "The competition will begin soon. You must make us proud, understood?"

"Yes." They all answered at once.

Shirou couldn't help but let his eyes gravitated towards LingEr who was next to his _shiniang_. Today, she was absolutely radiant; she seemed to be in a very good mood. Her eyes made contact with his and she smiled.

Shirou couldn't help but blush lightly.

"Shirou." SuRu said to her favorite disciple. She walked towards him.

Shirou snapped out of his daydreaming and responded: "Yes, _shiniang_."

"Your luck allowed you to bypass the first round, but you still need to pay attention to _shixiongs'_ and _shijie's_ duels. Remember what I told you."

Shirou nodded: "I understand, _shiniang_."

SuRu nodded and smiled. She turned towards Tian BuYi. The pudgy master nodded and walked towards the platform; the Bamboo Peak disciples followed.

"Ding!" A clear bell resonated through the Cloud Sea. The noisy square suddenly became completely silent.

At the center of the largest platform, Qian, Headmaster Dao XuanZhen and Master CangSong appeared. The headmaster took a step forward and announce to the disciples: "The tournament starts now!"

He waved his sleeve and the bell rang again. The toll of the bell filled the sky. Shirou and LingEr's gazes met again. She had an excited smile.

The two couldn't move their eyes anywhere else and the voices of Headmaster Dao XuanZhen and Master CangSong became distant muttering. Then, the bell started to ring again and pulled the both of them back to reality. The competition had already begun.

With sixty-three people and only eight platforms, there would have to be four groups. Within the first group, only LingEr was from Bamboo Peak. Her platform was the western one, Li. All of the Bamboo Peak disciples rushed there.

Her first opponent was a disciple of Sunrise Peak; his name was Chen MingTian. He jumped onto the stage and the disciples cheered for him. Surrounding the Li platform were mostly disciples from Sunset Peak. Even their house head, Shang ZhengLiang, was there. It appeared that they valued MingTian very highly.

Tian BuYi and the others were covered by the Sunrise Peak disciples; almost everyone at the platform wore its house robes. Tian BuYi didn't care, however, and his eyes met with Shang ZhengLiang. They gave each other a faint smile.

Already, there were Widow's Peak disciples bringing out seats for the two masters and SuRu. Tian BuYi and his wife sat down. LingEr came and said: "Mom, Dad. I'm going to go up now."

Tian BuYi looked at his daughter and said: "Go."

SuRu smiled kindly: "Careful."

LingEr smiled at her parents and found the third person she wanted to talk to before the fight began. She saw Shirou and made her way over there and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"I'm going to go now… You'll be cheering for me, right?"

Shirou nodded and returned the embrace, "Of course, LingEr."

The girl smiled and broke contact: "Then, with you here, victory is assured. Wait for my good news."

LingEr turned towards the stage and smiled without a hint of anxiety. He left hand formed a incantation seal and she shouted: "Up!"

There was a flash of red light and Phoenix Soul had moved from her waist to below her feet. The Esper carried her to the platform.

The spectacle was far more graceful than MingTian jumping onto the stage like an ape. Since most of the disciples were male, they couldn't help but be attracted by LingEr's beauty. The applause was so full and loud that the disciples at other platforms turned to look and wondered what had happened.

Shirou and the others were standing behind Tian BuYi and SuRu now. The _shiniang_ had a knowing smile on her face; she saw the interaction between her daughter and Shirou.

She turned towards Tian BuYi: "It seems like LingEr's cultivation has improved."

Tian BuYi smiled. Although he didn't say anything, he appeared to be in a very good mood.

LingEr had already arrived at the stage and was only a yard away from MingTian. Her hands folded into a respectful salute: "Shen _shixiong_, it is an honor to face you."

MingTian noticed to the red glow coming from LingEr's Esper. This must have been the Phoenix Soul that his master had warned him about. His hands folded in front of his chest: "Tian _shimei_, please go easy on me."

He then took a step back. With a flourish, his right hand summoned a sword with a faint brown glow in front of him. He grabbed the sword and assumed a fighting stance.

SuRu frowned and whispered to Tian BuYi: "This sword is the same element as LingEr's Phoenix Soul. The battle will depend on their cultivation."

Tian BuYi wasn't worried and smiled: "Of all of the earth Espers in QingYun, which one can match your Phoenix Soul? I say that sword is at least eighteen thousand times worse than yours."

SuRu smiled: "Nonsense."

The bell rung; the contest had begun.

Right after the toll, LingEr immediately began her attack. Phoenix Soul charged at MingTian like a flash of red lightning.

Not thinking that the girl would immediately assault him, MingTian took two steps back. He raised his sword to prepare to deal with Phoenix Soul.

Red and brown light crashed together and the resulting shockwave shook both LingEr and MingTian's bodies.

Tian BuYi frowned; SuRu was also surprised: "That MingTian's cultivation isn't low." At the same time, the Sunrise Peak disciples began to cheer.

The cry from nearly a hundred people immediately drowned out the voices of the Bamboo Peak disciples. Sixth BiShu snorted, "Why so loud? This isn't a shouting contest."

On the stage, Phoenix Soul had returned towards its master. MingTian took seven steps back and shifted his stance. He muttered some kind of incantation under his breath and then his eyes snapped open:

Immediately, his body rushed towards LingEr; his Esper forming a brown trail behind him. The blade's brown glow intensified tenfold as he brought it down in an overhead swing.

Yet, LingEr didn't retreat from the blow. Her left hand gestured towards Phoenix Soul and pulled it above her head. The Esper glowed brightly and a crimson wall of light formed above her head. At the next moment, MingTian's sword crashed violently against the red wall; his earth element compounding the weight of his blade immensely.

The red light shook but there was no danger of it collapsing.

SuRu was relieved and whispered to Tian BuYi: "LingEr is so silly and arrogant…"

Tian BuYi just snorted and shook his head.

Seeing that the technique was getting him nowhere, MingTian disengaged from the crimson shield. LingEr didn't take a single moment of rest. She beckoned Phoenix Soul to her hand. The golden centerpiece shifted its composition and rolled up like a long staff with billowing red silk.

LingEr rushed towards her opponent. MingTian frowned and he grit his teeth. His right hand tightened its grip on his sword while his left hand twisted. As Phoenix Soul was about to strike at his head, the wooden floor of the platform suddenly cracked. Five or six huge stones rose from under the stage and blocked her strike.

The audience was amazed. Tian BuYi and SuRu's faces darkened while Shang ZhengLiang nodded.

LingEr's staff struck the stone with great force and a cloud of dust covered the entire stage. LingEr could feel her arms ring; the stone felt indestructible. Phoenix Soul bounced off the surface and returned to its previous form.

The dust had yet to settle. MingTian's face was slightly pale but he didn't rest. He let out a roar and his body began to float above one of the stones. He held his sword with both hands. The Esper brightened and he stabbed it into the extremely hard stone.

There was another creaking sound and LingEr felt the ground where she had retreated shake. After a second, the wooden floor where she was standing splintered into a thousand pieces. A countless number of sharp rock spikes shot out from the ground.

"Nice one Shen _shixiong_.", "Great!", "Victory!" were some of the cries from the Sunrise Peak disciples.

Shirou and SuRu simply continued to stare at the cloud of dust, their eyes tracking the red figure within.

LingEr had felt the ground rumble and prepared accordingly. As the spikes jutted from the ground, she had jumped high in the air. She used the surfaces to propel herself above their reach.

The stage was still covered with dust and hardly anything could be seen. MingTian was still standing stop one of the large stones and didn't relax. His eyes were flicking back and forth trying to find his opponent. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a red light flashed and brightened.

LingEr propelled herself off of a stone spike. Her body jumped high into the air; Phoenix Soul circling her waist with a red glow. She formed an incantation with both of her hands and swung down. The Esper stopped circling her and entered the earth like a viper.

Without hesitation, MingTian flew backwards. Just as he though, Phoenix Soul had burst through the earth, creating a large hole. Yet, with this observation, he had already acted too slow.

LingEr's arms crossed in front her chest and she shouted, "Extend!"

Phoenix Soul paused and then its red light brightened and the silk extended hundreds of times. The red textile had surround MingTian completely and countless layers of silk tightly covered him. The Esper had caught him in mid-air.

LingEr kept channeling the incantation and the giant cocoon of silk kept contracting. New layers folded atop of older ones. Between the gaps in the lines of silk, the brown glow of MingTian's sword was faintly visible; its wielder was clearly still trying to rest. Yet, even with his resistance, Phoenix Soul kept tightening its hold.

The red ball of silk had now completely blanketed the brown glow; MingTian's body was nowhere to be seen. LingEr's was still in mid-air; her face was flushed with exertion.

After a while, Phoenix Soul contracted again; the cocoon of silk shrunk by a foot. Everyone held their breath. At that moment, MingTian broke through the layers of silk and fell out; his face completely pale.

The Sunrise Peak disciples cheered loudly, however, Shang ZhengLiang closed his eyes and signed in resignation. Tian BuYi and SuRu smiled to each other. Shirou nodded stoically.

MingTian's sword dropped to the ground with a clang and the man fell to all fours heaving. Slowly, he began to pick himself back up, he grasped his Esper with his hand and returned to shaky feet; it looked like he would fall over from a stiff breeze. His body would not give up; he would die trying to win.

LingEr was much better off compared to her opponent and simply sent Phoenix Soul straight towards the struggling boy. MingTian didn't have the power to dodge the Esper and he was smacked in the chest. The force of the impact propelled him off the stage.

The Sunrise peak stopped their cheering as though they were muted. Shang ZhengLiang stood up, shook his head and yelled at the disciple next to him: "Hurry and help Shen _shixiong_."

At his command, they seemed to realized what had happened and rushed to help MingTian. LingEr took back her Esper and landed on the ground. She smiled and her hands folded in front her of: "Thank you, Shen _shixiong_, for going easy on me."

MingTian looked at her and could only smile bitterly: "Tian _shimei_ is very gifted. I can only admire her talent." Then, he let the other disciples carry him away.

Shang ZhengLiang walked towards Tian BuYi and SuRu: "Tian _shixiong_, although your daughter is young, she has already developed great talent. It fills me with admiration."

Tian BuYi smiled proudly: "I'm flattered by your words."

SuRu also smiled: "Shang _shixiong's_ house has many talented disciples. I believe that there are stronger opponents in your house."

At that, Shang ZhengLiang could only smile; he walked away. Tian BuYi did not press any further questions. He turned and walked to where his own disciples had gathered. LingEr had returned and she was immediately surrounded by the Bamboo Peak disciples.

They were all smiling and drowned LingEr with words of praise. Shirou had a small smile on his face and also congratulated the woman. Hearing his praise, her head perked up and her smiled widened.

Tian BuYi and SuRu came over and LingEr swiftly went to her mother's side. She pulled on her arms and smiled: "How was it, Mom? Aren't I tough?"

SuRu rolled her eyes but then laughed: "Yes, yes."

Tian BuYi was also smiling. His daughter had given them a good start; he felt some of the pressure fade from his back. He patted LingEr's head before turning to the rest of the disciples.

The pudgy master said: "Now it is your turn. LingEr has set an example for all of you to follow. You must all try hard; it is possible for you to match the disciples from the other houses."

Tian BuYi's disciples all shouted together, "Yes!"

Shirou shouted along with them. The group dispersed and each prepared for their own battles. In the next round, three disciples from Bamboo Peak were participating. SuRu had whispered something to LingEr that caused her to blush fiercely. The two women had separated from Tian BuYi to watch different matches.

SuRu noticed Shirou was still standing and staring into the open. She reminded him to closely observe some of the competition. His _shiniang_ then went back to her daughter and the two walked to choose which match they'd watch.

* * *

"Ha, ha, Shirou _shidi_!"

Suddenly, Shirou's shoulder was clasped heavily by someone.

Shirou had been staring into space, thinking of LingEr's fight; he didn't notice anyone approaching him. He was surprised. Turning around, he discovered that it was ShuShu, who he had met earlier in the morning.

ShuShu smiled at Shirou and turned his attention towards XiaoHui.

The Monkey Phantasm saw that the annoying guy was back. It made a strange face before jumping on DaHuang's back. It patted DaHuang's head and the dog turned his head, glared and barked at the two of them before running away.

Shirou frowned and called: "XiaoHui, come back, don't wander around."

ShuShu laughed: "Don't worry, Monkey Phantasms are extremely smart. It won't get lost."

At that, Shirou shrugged. He turned and was about to speak to ShuShu, but he noticed something and whipped his head back towards where both XiaoHui and DaHuang had left. He noticed that the two of them were walking towards the kitchen.

Shirou sighed deeply in hopeless defeat.

ShuShu was surprised by the sudden despondence: "What is it?"

Gathering his bearings, Shirou coughed and smiled: "Not... Nothing. Oh, right, don't you need to fight today as well? How do you still have time to come see me?"

ShuShu laughed: "Oh, that? I'm already done for today. I had nothing to do, so I came to say hi."

Shirou raised a brow: "What? You're already done? How did it go?"

ShuShu folded his fan and scratched his head sheepishly: "Uh, I accidentally won a round… he, he…"

Shirou could only look curiously at ShuShu's casual dismissal. His clothes were perfect and it didn't seem like he had gotten into a huge fight.

He asked: "Ceng _shixiong_, is your cultivation that high?"

ShuShu waved off the question: "Alas, Shirou _shidi_, what are you saying? With the meager amount of cultivation I have, how could I be suitable enough to walk on the stage? If it weren't for my father forcing me to practice, I would have been too lazy to bother with it.

"I'd rather garden, feed birds and read books. How relaxing is that! So many of the _shixiongs_ here are hardworking and diligent; how can I even compare? Although…

ShuShu put his arm on Shirou's shoulder, walked with him, leaned in and whispered: "I didn't expect to meet someone with such natural talent in the Seven Peaks Tournament."

Shirou could only frown at his new friends' statement.

ShuShu brought his hands up in a placating gesture. He casually said: "That doesn't matter though. No matter how greedy I am, I cannot expect to be the winner with someone of your strength participating.

"However, I am rather interested in your Monkey Phantasm. Hehe, Shirou _shidi_, I think it will be better if…"

Shirou saw the man's scheming look and replied: "No."

ShuShu stopped and rolled his eyes: "Eh? Then let me trade with you. You know, I have a lot of rare, fun, valuable creatures back at Wind Peak. For example, the three-legged rabbit, black and white peacock, shelless turtle, and a snake with wings!"

Shirou could help but ask: "You really have such strange creatures?"

ShuShu was smug: "Of course. I've spent much effort on collecting them and dealt with many of my dad's punishments for it. However, I still like your Monkey Phantasm. How about it, which one do you want to trade for it?"

Shirou shook his head: "No. I kept XiaoHui because he decided to follow me back. I feel as though there is a strong bond between us. Also, the black and white rabbit, shelless peacock…"

ShuShu cut him off and corrected him: "It's the three-legged rabbit, black and white peacock and the one without a shell is the turtle!"

Shirou waved him off: "Yea, yea. However, I'm not interested in those; there will be no trade."

ShuShu rolled his eyes again. He dragged Shirou away from the crowd a people. He turned around and made sure that no one was present or watching them. A strange look had come over his face.

He leaned in and whispered: "Shirou _shidi_, this is my final offer; I'll show you something amazing. See if you like it or not."

From his robe, ShuShu took out a thick blue-covered book and handed it to Shirou. Taking a look at its cover, Shirou noticed that it didn't have a title. The cover seemed old. ShuShu pretended to look normal, but his eyes were darting around nervously.

Shirou shook his head and said: "Ceng _shixiong_, I cannot take such a valuable book. My potential is not enough to use it I'm afraid. It's useless for me to read it. I also don't want to trade XiaoHui. Please, take this back."

ShuShu had glared at him and quietly said: "That's because you haven't read it yet. Just read it first, hurry!"

Shirou couldn't help but be curious at his strange behavior. Nevertheless, he would skim the contents quickly to satisfy ShuShu before insisting he take it back. Thus, he grabbed the book and opened the blue-cover. He was then stunned

His eyes widened and his face immediately flushed. In the book, besides a large block of words, there were also a lot of drawings. They were all of naked men and women.

ShuShu had given him porn.

It was the first time in Shirou's life seeing such a thing; No one had even taught him anything about it before! The golden-eyed boy cried: "Ceng _shixiong_, why do you have such a thing?"

"Hush!" ShuShu was surprised and quickly took the book back; he placed the blue tome in his robe. He carefully looked around at the disciples around them and glared at Shirou: "Don't be so loud."

Shirou understood, but he was still surprised. He whispered: "Ceng _shixiong_, why have you, um, read such a book?"

ShuShu's lips curved. There was pride in his voice: "So how about it? Let me tell you, there is only one copy of this book in the world! I put in an extreme amount of effort to procure it. I promise, after you read it, you will be able to get every lady's heart in the world! How about it? Are you willing to trade XiaoHui for it?"

Shirou thought back to LingEr when he heard ShuShu's claim. His mind briefly replaced the characters in the book with himself and LingEr. He blushed deeply and shook his head: "No."

ShuShu said angrily: "No? No to this, no to that. Tell me: what do you want?"

Shirou replied honestly: "I don't want anything. I am content."

ShuShu couldn't do anything about it and sighed out: "It's like talking to a piece of wood."

Shirou chuckled and paid no attention to his friend's words. His mind was still focused on LingEr. That book had sent these strange thoughts into his brain.

By then, ShuShu had given up. He opened up his fan. Then, the bell rang from far away; the next round had begun.

ShuShu looked in the direction of the sound and smiled. He suddenly grabbed Shirou and pulled: "Come, I will bring you to watch the most popular person in QingYun."

Shirou frowned, a handsome face entering his mind: "Who are you talking about? It is Dragon Head Peak's Qi _shixiong_?"

"Huh?" ShuShu seemed shocked. He shook his head: "Qi _shixiong's_ cultivation is already well known throughout QingYun. Didn't you hear? This tournament has a different star."

Shirou paused and frowned: "Who?"

ShuShu seemed to have forgotten the argument that they just had. He smiled mysteriously: "You'll find out if you follow me!"

With that, he pulled Shirou with him to one of the platforms. Shirou was also curious about the person he was talking about, so he let himself be led.

ShuShu took Shirou to the largest platform, Qian. Shirou had managed to shake off the excitable man and followed behind him. He saw that, beneath the platform, the surrounding stage was overcrowded with hundreds of QingYun disciples. There must have been at least four or five hundred people. Shirou guessed that more than half of all the QingYun disciples were gathered here.

As they got closer, they could hear the disciples excitedly chatting.

"Bamboo Heights always has so many beauties. I heard that XueQi is supposedly the most beautiful woman in five-hundred years!"

"Of course, she is! I saw her yesterday at Crystal Hall. She is utterly enchanting. Huh? Who hit my head? _Shishu?_"

A white bearded old man was next to the blabbering disciple. He angrily said: "Brat, you are a cultivator. Your mind is supposed to be steel, yet you're shaken still by women? If you are up there and all you can see is her face, you would have lost before you could make a move."

"Yes."

"Hmph! I already told headmaster: QingYun should not be adopting female disciples."

"He, he, he… _Shishu_, your seniority is really… uh… brilliant, intelligent and wise. But isn't your voice a bit too loud?"

"What? Am I wrong? The old bearded man's voice raised higher.

"No, no!" The disciples quickly surrounded him: "_Shishu_, Master ShuiYue is sitting right there…"

"Hmph" The old man huffed indignantly, but he still had lowered his voice: "If it weren't for the fact that we're from the same faction…"

The disciples immediately praised the highly cultivated old man and let him grumble. ShuShu and Shirou looked at each other. The both of them shrugged.

Shirou asked: "The person you mentioned, is she a _shijie_ from Bamboo Heights?"

ShuShu nodded in response. He took a look at the stage: "It hasn't started yet… You'll see her soon, but, alas, there are so many people.

The two of them circled the stage, however, it was overcrowded with QingYun disciples. They couldn't find a good way to get into the crowd. Shirou was even more curious. He wondered who could be so popular to draw so many disciples to their stage.

ShuShu was anxious and kept saying: "Damn it, too many people. I should have waited here last night to get a good spot."

Shirou raised a brow, but, before he could say anything, ShuShu's eyes brightened. He saw that there was a group of Wind Peak disciples standing around. Without saying anything, he dragged Shirou over. The disciples recognized that it was ShuShu and they all smiled.

A huge man then said: "Ho, ho, you're late."

ShuShu didn't bother responding to him. He took Shirou and squeezed into the crowd. The Wind Peak disciples were all very kind to him and moved out of the way to let him pass. Shirou followed him. They got farther inside the crowd and now the view was much better. Near the platform, there were eight people sitting in a row.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen, Master CangSong and Master ShuiYue were the most prominent out of the eight. The other seats were occupied by various elders from different houses. Standing behind them, the QingYun disciples were tightly crowded together.

The most catching were Bamboo Heights' female disciples, who were standing behind ShuiYue. Shirou recognized WenMin from the other day. The one who stood the closest, however, to Master ShuiYue was the beautiful lady he saw yesterday in Crystal Hall during sortation. She wore the same white robe as yesterday. Her face was still as cold as ice; many people gazed at her.

"See her? It's her." ShuShu elbowed Shirou and told him to look at the lady in white.

Shirou looked at her and said: "Is she the one you said is the most cultivated?"

ShuShu was like a drunk: "I don't know if she deserves that title; she entered QingYun not long ago. Her cultivation is hard to predict. However, everyone says she is certainly the most beautiful!"

Shirou deadpanned: "Ceng _shixiong_, your drooling face makes you look quite creepy."

ShuShu wiped his mouth with his sleeve: "Ahem… did, did I? He, he, you must be wrong. Anyways, do you see the _shixiongdi_ around us?"

True enough, Shirou saw that most of the gathered disciples' eyes were on the Bamboo Heights disciples, especially the frosty XueQi. It seemed like the women had already gotten used to the attention. All of them acted normally; XueQi's face was emotionless. She was like frost and ice; ignoring all of the males behind her.

ShuShu smiled and whispered: "You can't blame any of them though. QingYun suddenly adopted so many young disciples in recent times. Look around, there are at least four hundred disciples around our age. He, he… our cultivation isn't high enough. We cannot resist them."

Shirou peered at him as if he was something foul. He thought back to the book ShuShu had shown him. He felt as if the word pervert was stamped upon his forehead.

ShuShu turned and asked surprisingly: "Shirou _shidi_, why are you looking at me and not them? You and I are friends, that's why I brought you here. Right, so who do you think has the best body?"

Shirou immediately turned his head away; a faint blush on his cheeks.

* * *

The noise suddenly disappeared. Under everyone's attention, XueQi stepped up and saluted Master ShuiYue.

ShuiYue nodded and said, "Go."

XueQi responded in turn. She tidied up her clothes and her right hand softly formed an incantation. He eyes looked at the stage. Soon, faint white smoke began to gather around her feet and formed a cloud. XueQi stood on top of the cloud like a fairy. She slowly floated up into the air and was carried to the stage.

The wind blew. The white smoke trailing off was like the softest, most beautiful silk. Her dress fluttered between the clouds. She looked like a goddess that had descent to the earth from the nine heavens. People could not help but love and respect her.

Then, the sudden applause from the crowd made Shirou's ears ring. He was surprised by how popular XueQi was. He looked at her figure in mid-air; some part of his mind couldn't help think that there could be someone this beautiful in the world.

A smile appeared on ShuiYue's cold face.

After a moment, a young disciple walked onto the stage – no one noticed him. He had a square face and thick eyebrows. He seemed decent enough, but at that moment, his face was excited.

When he got on the stage, he said to XueQi: "Lu _shimei_, I am Dragon Head Peak's disciple, Fang. Today, I can fight against _shimei_; very fortunate."

"Boo…" Hisses and boos came from the crowd.

XueQi was calm. She stood on her cloud in mid-air and said coldly: "Fang _shixiong_ is courteous. Bamboo Heights' eighth generation Lu XueQi: I ask Fang _shixiong_ for his wisdom today."

Shirou looked at XueQi standing in mid-air like a fairy. He was assaulted with the same sensation from the Crystal Hall. This beauty floating in the air was deadly. Shirou's eyes flicked to her back and looked at the sword resting there. Unlike a majority of the other disciples, it seemed to be well cared for.

On the stage, Fang was still talking. It seemed like he didn't mind talking forever and never beginning the competition. Fortunately, many people began to get annoyed. When he kept talking, many people, including ShuShu who was standing next to Shirou, began to shout angrily.

"Why is it still not beginning?"

"Pervert."

"So annoying, like a woman! Huh, you're a Bamboo Heights _shijie_ – Ouch! What are you trying to do? No, I didn't…"

"Ding!"

Finally, the bell rang.

XueQi's eyes glared straight at Fang. He trembled under XueQi's cold glare. He would no longer waste time and say stupid things. He took back his smile and focused his mind. He held out his right hand and summoned a silver-white sword.

Shirou frowned. The sword reminded him of QiHao's Frozen Melody.

ShuShu snorted: "With QiHao's popularity, many people in Dragon Head Peak love to craft swords of the same style."

Turning his attention back to the battle, Shirou could feel a frosty chill coming from it. However, the feeling was much more muted than the feeling from QiHao's Frozen Melody that day when Tian BuYi lost his temper.

However, XueQi was still standing on the cloud. She waited with a cold expression on her face and watched Fang channeling energy and forming a wall of ice. She showed no sign of attacking. On her back was that well cared for, sky-blue sword. Unlike most of the other cultivator's Espers, this one didn't seem to be able to attack for its owner. It was a passive style Esper.

Of course, no one here dared underestimate this sword.

Additionally, in cultivation, most Espers could eventually assimilate with their owner after many long years of practice. Thus, when they were needed, the owner could summon them from within their body. Some Espers were strange though.

If they possessed extremely high spiritual strength, then the human body wouldn't be able to carry the burden of such an object. Thus, the owner of such an Esper would have to always carry this Esper with him or her. This type of Esper always has spiritual power. The stronger the owner's cultivation, the more powerful the Esper would become.

LingEr's Phoenix Soul, JingYu's Dragon Slayer and Shirou's Celestial Tear all belonged to this category of Esper. They would not be able to assimilate into their bodies. LingEr wore hers like a belt, JingYu carried his on his back and Shirou wore his on a chain around his neck.

However, this wasn't the main factor for many disciples' cautious behavior. There was another Esper of considerably greater fame that was of the same type: The QingYun's ancient treasure sword, Regenesis.

In a three-yard radius around Fang, a thin layer of ice formed. The nearby disciples could feel the chill coming from it. XueQi didn't care. Her eyes were much colder than the chill that came from his own sword. It was kind of frightening.

Fang was in a rush. His hand pointed towards XueQi from below. His silver sword started to float around him before darting at the woman.

He said: "Lu _shimei_, be careful!"

Laughter came from the crowd. Fang seemed to fear harming XueQi. Master CangSong was embarrassed; he snorted heavily.

The person seated next to him immediately responded: "What? CangSong _shixiong_ is dissatisfied?"

CangSong didn't turn, he replied: "ShuiYue _shimei_, every one of the disciples in your house are so pretty!"

During the competition, CangSong hadn't praised her disciples' talents but instead only mentioned their beautiful faces. It was clearly sarcasm.

ShuiYue said rather emotionlessly: "I didn't know that QingYun housed such an abundance of lechers and trash."

CangSong flew into a fury. Just as he was about to retort, however, Headmaster Dao XuanZhen held up his hand and smiled: "Okay, okay. We are already hundreds of years old. Don't you feel embarrassed arguing in front of so many disciples? Watch the fight, watch the fight."

The two snorted and turned away.

Fang's silver sword was already under XueQi's cloud, yet, the frosty beauty's cold face never changed. She had yet to make a single move. Her cloud eventually carried her a bit backwards, but Fang's sword was fast and it caught up to her movement in an instant. The audience screamed or sighed as they watched the sword get close to XueQi. Shirou narrowed his eyes.

"Clang!"

The clear sound filled the entire square.

It was as though Fang's sword received a hard blow. The blade fell backwards and towards the ground. Fang and CangSong were both surprised. XueQi had a single palm extended, a frosty blue energy surrounded her hand.

Fang's Esper dropped to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces. Everyone knew what an Esper meant to a cultivator.

CangSong stood up from his seat: "Bladebreaker!" He turned his attention to ShuiYue, "You taught her that technique!"

ShuiYue had a ghost of a smile on her face: "CangSong _shixiong_, please, watch the fight."

On the stage, with the destruction of his Esper, the ice walls that surrounded Fang had dissipated. The man seemed like he would keel over any second. XueQi's face remained cold and stoic. A moment of silence passed between the two. Something akin to disappointment entered XueQi's eyes.

The woman then grasped the blade on her back; however, she didn't draw it. Instead, she took the entire object, sheath and all, off of her.

In mid-air, XueQi's eyes were as bright as the stars and her hair began to dance in the wind. The woman tossed her sword into the air and twisted an incantation seal with her right hand. The sky-blue object began to shine brilliantly in the sky.

Her face remained cold without a hint of emotion now. Her mouth silently moved, pronouncing the incantation. Suddenly, a loud bang came from the sky-blue sword, like the roar of a might beast. The cloud vapor within twenty yards had been blown away by the bright blue light.

Suddenly, the air around Fang began to drop substantially. It was below freezing. The moisture in the area seemed to congregate into clumps that then froze into miniature blades of ice.

Then, the area spiraled as if it were a vortex.

For an entire minute, the entire platform was silent. The entire crowd watched the fight with rapt attention. They couldn't see Fang through the violent, turbulent ice. However, after a while, motes of red began to stain crystal blue.

It was then that XueQi stopped.

Fang's body was covered in lacerations from the thin blades of ice. He stumbled forwards a step and spat out a large amount of blood. His hand held his chest. Then, he couldn't hold out any longer and fainted.

* * *

A/N: A bit of a note why the swordplay here is a bit pathetic. I stated earlier that most of the disciples in QingYun use swords. However, they like the idea of using swords since their great Master QinYe once use one. Thus, they like the idea of a sword Esper much more than using a sword Esper and are rather pathetic when using it in non magical conduit ways.

Anyways we resolved the romance between LingEr and Shirou. The girl declared her feelings but Shirou still needs a day or two to properly short out his own. No one ever gave him the talk or told him about love, so he's pretty dense and bad with it. At least he know's LingEr's feelings.

I had thought about delaying her confession to after the tournament, but LingEr struck me as a person who would do things quickly when she has proper motivation.

Now, we met the second girl Lu XueQi. Cold as ice, even her name means so! (Her given translates roughly to frosty gem or angelic snow) Poor square face - his name literally means square - had the unfortunate displeasure of facing her.

I also wonder what number she drew and who she'll face next.

Next time: We continue the tournament, days number two and three most likely


	6. Seven Peaks - 2

A/N: In this chapter, Shirou gets to fight some other disciples and we go through three days of the tournament

The first thing I noticed when writing Shirou's fights is that its rather tedious to write his fights against lesser opponents. He is a person who will not show off if its not needed nor does he play with his opponent until they grow frustrated. He picks the most clinical method for victory and actuates it. Thus, I tried to convey this feeling into what I wrote into his fights; sorry if you were expecting a mass barrage of swords.

Aside from that, this is probably 2/3 for the Seven Peaks Chapters. Since there were originally 64 (63) participants, we will only have the semi-finals and finals next time around. We'll also set up some transition work for the next arc.

* * *

Seven Peaks – 2

Immediately, several disciples from Dragon Head Peak rushed towards the stage and lifted up Fang. They looked at the broken metal fragments on the floor and couldn't help but be filled with anger. Their eyes were enraged, glaring at XueQi like they wished that they could kill that beautiful lady in front of them.

Master CangSong had risen from his seat and had been standing ever since his disciple's Esper was destroyed. His countenance was one of hatred; his fists were tight by his side.

He turned his neck to face the girl's master and said coldly: "ShuiYue _shimei_, your disciple's heart is very fierce. Winning the battle is not enough, she humiliated him and even broke his Esper. What is the logic in this?"

Master ShuiYue scoffed as if it were none of her concern. In her usually frigid tone, she replied, "CangSong _shixiong_, it is very simple. XueQi's cultivation is just not high enough yet. She cannot control her power or Aeolian Steel well. It's not that big of a deal."

CangSong seemed as if he was ready to burst with anger, but, before he could act, a hand patted his shoulder. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen had risen from his seat and had clasped his shoulder. CangSong looked at the main-house head and saw a neutral expression on his face. He was forced to swallow his anger. Snorting heavily, he strode away from the seats.

XuanZhen smiled bitterly as he looked at CangSong's retreating back; he shook his head with resignation. Looking towards the other side of his seat, he noticed that ShuiYue had already walked away. XueQi had come down from the stage and arrived in front of ShuiYue. The master of Bamboo Heights looked at her disciple and smiled; her head nodded in approval. XueQi didn't say anything. She bowed and followed as her master walked away.

Shirou was lost in thoughts after the one-sided battle. He looked at the two women. Seeing ShuiYue walking with XueQi, he realized how alike the both of them were. They were both cold as frost; it seemed like they had come out of the same mold.

Suddenly, ShuShu let out a deep sigh: "I can't believe that even Aeolian Steel has reappeared."

Shirou was confused; the name was unfamiliar. He asked his friend, "What is Aeolian Steel?"

The assembled QingYun disciples were slowly dispersing. On their way out, ShuShu greeted several disciples from Wind Peak and then walked away with Shirou to talk in private. When they were both out of range of the others, he began his explanation: "Aeolian Steel is the sword that XueQi was using. I've read its legend before…"

"Aeolian Steel first appeared in hands of a cultivator known as Master KuXin a thousand years ago. Legend says that it was crafted with divine steel that dropped to the earth from the nine heavens. KuXin found this metal along the northern ice plains at some point; he crafted the sword with it.

"During the battle between the Noble and Heretical factions, the leader of the Noble clans was our QingYun's Headmaster QinYe, but KuXin was rather well known as well. Using the divine sword Aeolian Steel, he had battled the Mo Elder HeiXin for three days and three nights. Then, he stuck a crippling blow onto Elder HeiXin and got rid of one of our greatest threats at the time.

"It's said that only Aeolian Steel has the capability of restraining the Sinister Orb; the Espers seem to resent each other. After the battle, Aeolian Steel became famous; a dream weapon among cultivators. However, after KuXin passed away, the blade vanished. I never would have thought that it was in the hands of Bamboo Heights."

Done with his lecture, ShuShu shook his head. He looked towards Shirou and said rather solemnly: "Shirou _shidi_, since XueQi has such a godly weapon, we can't even hope to win this tournament."

Shirou wasn't disappointed; he never thought he would achieve it anyways. Seeing ShuShu's disappointed look, he asked, "Huh? Ceng _shixiong_, didn't you tell me that this tournament doesn't interest you? Why do you seem so disappointed?"

ShuShu blushed: "If I'm at least able to stand on top of the final's stage, it would look quite impressive. No?"

Shirou chuckled at his response.

ShuShu's face scrunched up and he felt embarrassed. He playfully punched Shirou on the arm: "What's so funny?" Then, he himself also laughed.

The two of them walked to another platform and watched another battle.

That day, after the first round, Bamboo Peak had a record of four wins and three losses. First DaRen, fourth DaZhi, sixth BiShu and LingEr had all won their matches. With the inclusion of Shirou's lucky draw, the small house had five disciples advancing into the next round.

It was Bamboo Peak's best showing for hundreds of years. It made Tian BuYi so happy that he couldn't close his mouth.

* * *

It had been another day of nothing strenuous. As such, Shirou's body, which was used to rampant exhaustion from training, was still full of energy. His _shixiongs_ were inside their assigned room, arguing about who would get the beds tonight. Sixth BiShu had insisted that the victors should occupy the beds for a higher chance of success the follow day. He had left before he could hear the end of the complaining.

Today, the night air was chilly. The moon above still shined high and bright; the stars twinkled beside it.

Shirou walked onto the Cloud Sea's square. His mind gave him a detailed recount of what happened the night before. It had made him pause for a small moment.

Nevertheless, he continued onwards. LingEr wouldn't be meeting him tonight. The girl was tired from her fight today and wanted to rest. She needed to recover for the second round tomorrow anyways. Shirou knew that he should have been doing the same thing, yet, no matter how long he laid on the floor, his body wouldn't rest.

He walked across the square and started to ascend the Rainbow Bridge.

Shirou wanted to practice his Fu cultivation, Brahman Wisdom, since there haven't been as many opportunities to do so as he would have liked. If he remained in the Cloud Sea's square, there were hundreds of disciples that would potentially wander out and discover him. Ironically, the safest area to practice would be at the heart of Widow's Peak next to Crystal Hall

The masters would most definitely be a sleep, there was no reason that they wouldn't. The night was late and their lodgings must have been comfortable.

Yet, he still wouldn't take that risk. To avoid both sides, he resolved himself to meditate in the wood at the Widow's Peak's summit. The foliage was dense enough to avoid prying eyes; one would only discover him if they specifically looked for him.

Thus, he began his climb unaware that two blue eyes had seen him and followed behind.

* * *

Night was gone.

The early dawn's rays shown upon the Cloud Sea. QingYun disciples came out to the square in the same fashion as the day before. The level of excitement for the Seven Peaks Tournament had only increased among the group.

Bamboo Peak's disciples stood under the same red list from yesterday that detailed their opponents. Half of the total names had been taken off. Next to Shirou's name was his opponent's: Chu YuWang.

During breakfast, Shirou tried to get information. He asked DaRen, who was sitting next to him, "Da _shixiong_, who is Chu YuWang? Is he strong?"

DaRen frowned and shook his head: "I'm not sure; I've never heard of him. The list said that he is one of Sunrise Peak's disciples, but, as for his cultivation progress, that I don't know."

Shirou had frowned.

DaRen saw his face and smiled: "Shirou _shidi_, don't worry. It's not that big of a deal."

Shirou responded, "Yes."

BiShu came in with a devious smile on his face. "Hey, _shixiongs_. Let's bet on the result of Shirou _shidi's_ fight."

"Right, right, I bet _shidi_ loses!"

"Are you daft, third? I bet he wins!"

"Second, he's still so young. I put double on he loses."

"Add me in!"

Shirou just shook his head at his _shixiongs_ banter. DaRen put his hand to his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

"Da _shixiong_, what do you think?"

DaRen grumbled unenthusiastically: "I gamble five shares: he wins."

BiShu's eyes widened: "What? Such confidence!"

Then, Tian BuYi and SuRu entered. The Bamboo Peak disciples stood up and greeted them

Tian BuYi looked at them and said, "Yesterday, your performance was not bad. However, today, in the second round, your opponents are basically QingYun's elites. You must all be cautious."

They answered, "Yes!"

SuRu looked at Shirou and walked over to him: "Shirou, today is your first battle. You must be careful, understand?"

Shirou nodded: "Yes, _shiniang_."

SuRu smiled: "Good. We all have high hopes for you. If you…"

"Ding!"

The woman wanted to say more, however, the bell announcing the beginning of the day had been rung. Tian BuYi and SuRu looked at each other and nodded.

"You all know which platform you should go to; the red list with all the names state it. When your fights begin, your _shiniang_ or I will come watch your battle. Make sure to not embarrass us."

"Yes!" answered the disciples.

Tian BuYi nodded. He spoke with SuRu privately before the both of them walked away. LingEr looked around and then went to Shirou. Her face lit up in a smile.

She asked: "Are you nervous?"

He nodded his head: "How could I not be?"

The woman laughed: "You don't look like it!"

Shirou smiled: "Master said that everyone competing today are elites."

LingEr rolled her eyes: "He said that because he's worried. You need to have more confidence in yourself. If I didn't think you were…"

Her words trailed off.

"Say, where are you today?" asked LingEr.

"Hmm, I'm in the first group, Zhen platform."

"Ehh? They put you all the way back there?"

Shirou just shrugged: "What about you?"

"I'm also in the first group, Dui platform."

"Then I won't be able to see your match."

LingEr shook her head and smiled: "It doesn't matter. We can watch the others afterwards, together."

Shirou smiled as well: "I would like that."

* * *

The battle between Shirou and the Sunrise Peak disciple Chu YuWang would be taking place at the farthest platform, Zhen.

Shirou was stoic: On his way to the platform, he heard many of the people talking about yesterday's matches. The well-known disciples advanced to the next round easily. They spoke of a highly talented disciple in Dragon Head Peak aside from QiHao; Shirou guessed it must have been JingYu.

Most of the talk, though, was on XueQi, the beautiful lady with the divine sword Aeolian Steel. Her cultivation and magical might had surpassed everyone's expectations. However, most people were still unhappy with XueQi's decision to break Fang's sword. Yet, people still flocked to her platform to watch her battle. The mysterious blade, Aeolian Steel, attracted them like moth to a flame. Even some elders wanted to witness the godly Esper from the battle a thousand years ago.

As he heard the discussion between the disciples, he couldn't help but recall the cold, beautiful face of XueQi. He shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts.

"Shirou."

The voice was familiar. Shirou snapped from his thoughts and smiled. It was JingYu.

Shirou walked over to him and said, "I was thinking why I couldn't find you. There you are."

JingYu pointed behind him: "I still need to fight today; it's at Kan platform so I came early to prepare. Today you're also fighting, no? Which platform are you at?"

"I'm going to Zhen platform. The fights will begin soon; I can't come cheer for you. Be careful up there."

JingYu smiled: "You too. Huh?"

The bell suddenly rung.

JingYu's eyes widened: "My fight's about to begin. I can't talk with you any longer. If I can, I'll come see you after this battle."

Shirou's eye twitched. He nodded: "Go."

JingYu and LingEr in the same place; was it wrong to hope his friend didn't come?

Shirou slowly made his way to the Zhen platform. It was on the far eastern part for the Cloud Sea. There were a handful of disciples, most were from Sunrise Peak. The number of people was significantly different than XueQi's Qian platform. There were only two chairs. His _shiniang_ and a white-bearded old man were sitting there. SuRu saw him and smiled.

Shirou thought that the old man was a bit familiar. He remembered that the elder was the one who scolded all of the disciples during XueQi's battle yesterday. He complained and argued that QingYun shouldn't adopt female disciples. Shirou didn't know what house he was from.

In the Seven Peaks Tournament, there were a total of eight platforms. There would be at least one elder assigned to each platform to watch over the disciples; otherwise, they would be out of control.

Shirou walked towards the white-bearded old man and bowed. He said, "_Shishu, _I am Bamboo Peak's disciple, Shirou. I am here for today's battle at the Zhen platform."

The old man turned and peered at Shirou. He casually replied: "Oh, you're here. Hurry, go onto the stage."

Shirou responded by making his way towards the stage; however, he saw no one was there. It was apparent that Chu YuWang hadn't arrive yet. Regardless, he followed the old man's order and walked onto the stage.

He met the eyes of his _shiniang_; she smiled kindly.

At the same time that he walked onto the platform, the Sunrise Peak disciples started whispering amongst themselves. It was clear that the topic of discussion was Shirou.

The morning sun had risen. It bathed the Widow's Peak in its gentle light. Shirou stood at his platform looking at the eastern sky. The early sun was slowly rising upward; the light was soft and red, brightening up the clouds from far away.

Staring at the scene, many feelings rose in Shirou's heart. Seven years ago, he was still an ignorant woodcutter's child. He had only dreamed that he could be able to stand at Widow's Peak and watch the sunrise. He never thought that he would have been able to find a family again after the tragedy at Grasstemple. Most of all, he never thought that someone could love him romantically.

"Ding!" A clear bell rang.

Shirou's head perked up. There were still several Sunrise Peak disciples standing present at the stage. The white-bearded old man was half sleeping, sitting in his chair. SuRu seemed a bit impatient for the event to start.

However, on the opposite side of Shirou, there was a man standing - about thirty years old - smiling at him.

Shirou folded his hands in front of him in a salute: "Bamboo Peak disciple Shirou here to ask for Chu _shixiong's_ guidance."

Chu YuWang smiled: "No, no. There are many talented people. Although Shirou _shidi_ is still young, you can still stand out here normally despite the upcoming battle. That is already far better than me from the last tournament. I can only admire it."

There was silence.

YuWang's face changed. His smile fell and a serious expression took hold. He twisted his right hand and a sword with a soft yellow glow was summoned.

"This sword's name is ShaoYang. Shirou _shidi_, please."

Shirou looked at ShaoYang. The yellow glow was soft and comfortable. It appeared that the sword wasn't made from just common materials.

Nevertheless, Shirou held out his right hand. He used Celestial Tear to summon a blade and grasped it with his outstretched hand. It was utterly plain and unimpressive; dull gray from handle to tip. The only embellishment was its red grip.

"Ah, Shirou _shidi_, is that your sword? What's its name?"

Shirou looked at the blade he had conjured: "This blade… it is nameless. It is just a blade."

YuWang blinked: "Eh?"

There was a moment of peace; YuWang acted first. He gestured for the Esper to advance on Shirou's location. The blade's yellow glow brightened and it darted towards the red-haired boy.

It was fine for Shirou; he was much more used to fighting defensively.

ShaoYang flew in a straight line towards him. To him, it had a very predictable trajectory and speed. His eyes flicked towards his opponent; a hand was outstretched, guiding the Esper. Unconsciously, he had let out a small smile; he remembered the trick that Tian BuYi had used against JingYu's Dragon Slayer. Since the sword was being guided by a cultivator, all he had to do was move at the last second.

Thus, his golden eyes fixated themselves onto the oncoming sword. It felt like an eternity. He could hear the cheers of the Sunset Peak disciples grow in volume the closer the blade got to him; they must have thought he froze up in fear. Then, he saw his opportunity.

Before YuWang could react, he twisted his body. The flying sword missed its mark and sailed harmlessly through where his chest had previously been. He Reinforced the entirety of his left arm as much as he safely could; flooding the limb with magical power. Then, he grasped the handle of the Esper.

There was a large flash of yellow light. After a moment, the flash died down and the sword returned to its regular glow; though, it seemed far more energetic and vibrant.

Upon seeing the flash of yellow, the cheers from the Sunrise Peak disciples reach their maximum.

ShuShu, who had come to see Shirou's fight, ignored the jubilant eyes around him. He sighed and felt sorry for his new friend. Pity that the competition's rules didn't allow him to help Shirou; he would have already gone up there. Thus, he could only nervously watch as Shirou was enveloped in a bright yellow light.

The bearded old man had also fully woken up and was surprised that ShuShu had come to watch.

SuRu sat there beautifully; her face etched with a knowing smirk.

On the stage, Shirou stood there in the same position he had dodged. His so-called nameless blade was still firmly grasped by his right hand; that was not the subject of surprise. ShaoYang was firmly grasped in his left hand held in a reverse grip; he had caught it mid-air and hadn't bothered moving. Strangely enough, the Esper wasn't making any attempt of struggling or removing itself from Shirou's grip.

The Sunrise Peak disciples immediately stopped their cheering; silence engulfed the stage.

YuWang looked like a lunatic; waving his arms around to-and-fro. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't get ShaoYang to move anymore. His face then paled in understanding at what had happened.

Shirou dashed like red lightning. He appeared in front of YuWang in less than a second. He pointed his nameless blade to the man's throat.

"It seems that victory is mine today, Chu _shixiong_."

The entire Zhen platform was silent.

Shirou with his right leg forward; his nameless blade just touching the skin of YuWang's neck. ShaoYang was still held in a reverse grip in his left hand. The Esper was glowing wildly; its yellow aura had become quite intense.

Soon, the sound of a single person clapping was heard. It was SuRu. The beautiful _shiniang_ had a smile on her face from the very short encounter.

After a moment of the solitary clapping, the white-bearded old man in charge of refereeing the match was the first to pull himself back together. The elder noticed Shirou's golden eyes looking at him and he gave the boy a nod: "You won."

Even with it formally declared, the platform was still silent. Shirou released his Esper's hold on the nameless blade; it dissolved into motes of golden light. He offered YuWang the handle to ShaoYang. The man methodically took it, as though he were seeing the sword for the first time.

"Thank you for going easy on me, Chu _shixiong_."

"No, no… It was _shidi's_ kindness that spared me today."

After bowing to his opponent, Shirou made his way towards SuRu. The woman stood up and met him at the edge of the platform. She seemed very pleased. Shirou arrived in front of her.

He said: "_Shiniang_, I won."

SuRu nodded and smiled: "Yes, you did. Congratulations. Master will be quite proud." The woman then leaned in for a whisper, "LingEr will be quite excited tonight."

She laughed as she pulled back; the boy's face had gone completely red.

Looking behind him, the woman noticed another figure coming towards them: "It seems like someone else wants to talk to you. I'll head over to your Da _shixiong's_ fight first. Make sure to go there afterwards, understood?"

"Yes, _shiniang_."

Nodding her head, SuRu turned around and vanished into the crowd. She made her way to another platform.

* * *

"Shirou _shidi_!" A firm hand clasped his shoulder. It was ShuShu.

"Oh, Ceng _shixiong_. What are you doing here?"

ShuShu unfolded his fan: "Isn't it obvious? I came to watch your fight; if you can even call it that. You little devil, you were just hiding your skill!"

Shirou laughed: "No, no… My cultivation is still far below yours; I'll be lucky if I make it past the next round."

ShuShu smiled and replied humorously: "I must disagree. This disciple is lazy and weak. You must be a hundred – no – a thousand times my better!"

The two of them shared a laugh.

ShuShu then asked: "By the way, where is your Monkey Phantasm, what's its name…"

"XiaoHui" Shirou supplied.

"Right, XiaoHui. Why don't I see XiaoHui today?"

Shirou shrugged: "I haven't seen him for the entire morning. He's probably hanging around somewhere with DaHuang again."

ShuShu seemed disappointed: "Aww."

Shirou deadpanned: "Ceng _shixiong_, could the reason you went to see my fight be because of XiaoHui."

ShuShu hid his face behind his fan: "Nonsense, Shirou _shidi_. We're good friends, aren't we? In fact, I think we're such good friends that you…"

"No" Shirou shut him down before he could even begin.

"What? You haven't even heard my request?"

"No."

"Come on, just give me your Monkey Phantasm!"

"No."

Their banter was cut off by a loud noise in the distance. Even from this far away, they could still hear it clearly. In the center of the square, there were many QingYun disciples surrounding the Qian platform. Wave after wave of exclamation came from the crowd.

Shirou hadn't reacted to it but ShuShu was already stamping his feet: "Damnit, damn it! I was too concerned about you; forgot the most important thing."

Then, the disciple from Wind Peak pulled Shirou's arm and began to run.

Shirou was confused and asked while running, "What is it?"

ShuShu's face was full of regret: "That's XueQi's fight!"

Shirou shook his head. He added: "ShuShu, thank you for coming to watch me."

Startled, ShuShu began to slow his pace. He turned around and looked at Shirou. He smiled and said: "Ho, ho, it was nothing. If you want to thank me, however, you can give XiaoHui…"

"We need to hurry!"

ShuShu shook his head. Then, he followed behind Shirou with his mouth murmuring.

As they approached closer to the Qian platform, they saw that the QingYun disciples were already walking away. They were excited and debating amongst each other. Shirou and ShuShu looked up at the stage. No one was on the platform; however, it was severely scarred. It appeared that the contest was already finished.

ShuShu rolled his eyes and pushed through the crowd with Shirou. Then he found his target: a group of Wind Peak disciples. He quickly went near them and the disciples smiled when they realized who he was.

A tall man then said: "_Shidi_, didn't you say you must see XueQi's battle? Why were you not here?"

ShuShu coughed behind his fan: "I had, um, something to do. Right, hurry: what are the results?"

A man with thick eyebrows said: "You don't even have to ask to know. With Aeolian Steel, even Widow's Peak DuanLei is no match for her!"

ShuShu was surprised: "Even DuanLei _shixiong_ lost to her?"

Shirou asked him: "Is DuanLei _shixiong_ strong?"

ShuShu nodded: "Yes. DuanLei is one of the most outstanding disciples from the main house. Many people believed that he could win this tournament."

The tall man shook his head and sighed: "It doesn't matter much; you didn't see it. The power of Aeolian Steel is far too strong. The blue light flashed, then there were a few noises. After that, DuanLei _shixiong_ lost."

He let out another sigh before continuing: "You may not believe this; however, in the end, XueQi still hadn't pulled Aeolian Steel out of its sheath."

ShuShu was startled: "What is the point of this tournament then? Who can stand as her opponent if she uses that divine blade?"

The tall man shook his head: "That isn't necessarily it. For a godly weapon such as Aeolian Steel, its power isn't muted much by the sheath. As for XueQi's cultivation, it is terrific."

ShuShu looked at him and said: "Gao _shixiong_, how do you know this?"

Gao _shixiong_ then said: "That's what I heard at least from master."

"My dad?"

"Yes. Before you arrived, master was present. At the end of the battle, he said that she might have already surpassed level eight of YuQing, perhaps she is already at level nine."

ShuShu was stunned but no words could come out of his mouth. Even though ShiShu said that he didn't care about the results of the tournament, he still seemed very invested and concerned.

A bell rung in the distance. The Wind Peak disciples seemed to have a duel to attend. They all went towards the direction of the ringing bell. Shirou saw ShuShu just standing there. He pulled him.

ShuShu snapped out of his thoughts and smiled: "It's all over. We have no hope."

Shirou didn't care: "Over is over. Right, have you finished your fight for the day?"

ShuShu looked into the distance and said: "It still hasn't begun yet, but I should go now. Where are going to go?"

"_Shiniang_ told me to go back and watch my _shixiong's_ fight. I also need to report to master my results."

ShuShu nodded: "Come watch me if you have the time."

The two of them separated and bid their farewells.

Traveling his way towards where the rest of Bamboo Peak was, Shirou could hear many people discussing the fight between XueQi and DuanLei. After a long while, Shirou finally found his group in the west. He could see the angry face of Tian BuYi from far away.

The pudgy master didn't see him approach. SuRu had arrived earlier than him. LingEr and the rest of the Bamboo Peak disciples were there with the exception of DaRen. Shirou peered at everyone. LingEr smiled at him just fine, but the others were all depressed

Shirou asked BiShu: "Sixth _shixiong_, how'd it go?"

BiShu peeked at Tian BuYi and saw that he wasn't looking in their direction. He whispered: "Except for Da _shixiong_, we've all finished our duels. Only _shimei_ won. Master is really mad now."

Shirou blinked.

Tian BuYi seemed to notice him. Looking towards them, he asked, "Seventh. What is your result."

Shirou replied: "I won, master."

At this, Tian BuYi seemed to let out a massive sigh. His face had a small smile now: "Good. That is good to hear."

They then went to go watch DaRen's fight. It was a powerful show of aggression from the imposing man. Eventually, he had overpowered his opponent with shear force. The disciples from Bamboo Peak cheered and Tian BuYi had finally smiled.

Afterwards, they had all dispersed to go watch whatever matches the wished. LingEr dragged Shirou away with her.

* * *

Now, there were only sixteen disciples in the third round of the Seven Peaks Tournament. Bamboo Peak had three people in the third round; very surprising. Afterwards, for the entire day, Tian BuYi had a smile on his face. The disciples were discussing this secretly.

BiShu said: "Look at master's happy face. This time, we were finally able to throw away our shame."

Second DaYi added: "Da _shixiong_, _shimei_ and Shirou _shidi_ really made our master proud."

Fourth DaZhi sighed in grief: "There is only shame for me. Even though _shimei _and Shirou _shidi_ are still young, they are already better than I. Their futures are so bright."

BiShu then asked: "Ahem, where is Da _shixiong_? Ah _shimei_? Shirou _shidi_? What the, where did they go?"

Fifth DaXin thought for a moment: "I think I saw _shimei_ and Shirou _shidi_ wander off together after Da _shixiong's_ fight."

Third DaLi's eyes widened in realization: "You don't think…"

The rest of the disciples understood the implication

DaYi: "It cannot be…"

DaXin: "When did this happen…"

DaZhi: "Right under our noses…"

BiShu: "Shirou _shidi_, you've grown up so much! _Shixiongs_, I can see it now; the future of Bamboo Peak is very bright!"

All of the disciples laughed

After they had sobered up BiShu asked again: "By the way, none of you said where Da _shixiong _is."

DaZhi had a devious smile on his face: "I'm sure we all know where Da _shixiong_ is."

The five looked at each other. Each of them developed a large smile: "Bamboo Heights' WenMin _shijie_!"

Their roaring laughter would earn them a few looks.

DaRen suddenly trembled. WenMin was curious: "What happened to you?"

DaRen frowned: "I don't know. My body just felt a sudden chill."

WenMin peered at him: "Aren't you just feeling guilty?"

DaRen immediately shook his head: "No, no. No such thing!"

WenMin's face softened, but she still huffed: "Then why did you sneak into Bamboo Heights' girls' room?"

Laughter came out around him and DaRen looked around embarrassed. The day was already over and most of the female disciples had already returned. They were all smiling and looking at him with interest.

DaRen quickly changed the topic: "Oh, why don't I see my _shimei_?"

WenMin smiled: "Your _shimei_ never joined us today. If I recall correctly, I saw her hanging off of your Shirou _shidi_."

DaRen was surprised: "What, Shirou _shidi_! When did this happen!"

WenMin chuckled and shook her head. Suddenly, she became serious: "If you see your LingEr _shimei_, tell her to be careful tomorrow."

DaRen didn't feel embarrassed talking to WenMin when it came to LingEr. He could speak more freely and with a steady flow.

He frowned: "I know _shimei_ has a duel with your Bamboo Heights' XueQi tomorrow; however, our masters have such a good relationship with each other, so there shouldn't be a problem. The Seven Peaks Tournament is for testing each other's strength anyways."

WenMin looked at him and said, "Your _shiniang, _Su _shishu, _does, of course, have a good relationship with my master. However, my master greatly dislikes yours. She still blames him for stealing our Su _shishu_."

DaRen was waiting for WenMin to continue. However, WenMin looked towards the other Bamboo Heights' disciples; they were all quiet.

He was bewildered: "What is it?"

WenMin looked at him. She bit her lip and hesitated for a moment: "Song _shixiong_, Lu _shimei_ is different from us; however, master really likes her. Once she gets on the stage, we can't say for certain what will happen next."

DaRen's face changed: "What?"

WenMin stopped talking. She was completely silent.

* * *

The next day, QingYun's Seven Peaks Tournament had entered its third round.

Eight platforms were exactly enough for sixteen disciples. Thus, there was no need for groups; everyone's fight would start at the same time. Shirou was assigned to the Kan platform and DaRen was at Li. As for LingEr and XueQi's battle, they were assigned to the largest platform, Qian.

According to Shirou's friend ShuShu, who he had only known for three days, the QingYun elders were having problems on assigning platforms. It to be expected that LingEr and XueQi's battle would attract the most viewers. XueQi and her Aeolian Steel alone were enough; there would be hundreds of QingYun disciples crowding around her platform.

LingEr, however, was also well known in QingYun for her cultivation progress at such a young age. She had defeated many powerful opponents in the last two days. Thus, she also attracted many young viewers.

Today, the most outstanding female disciples of the new generation were crossing in battle. The elders could only feel sorry for them; the QingYun disciples already surrounded the platform.

DaRen and Shirou were standing in front of Tian BuYi. Tian BuYi said to DaRen: "Today, your opponent is the main house's ChangJian. He is extremely diligent and very experienced. He specializes in strong defensive magics, the opposite of you and your Ten Tigers sword. You will need to be careful."

DaRen said respectfully: "Yes, master."

Shirou felt that the name was familiar. He remembered then that it was ChangJian who had led both him and JingYu to Crystal Hall seven years ago. Speaking of JingYu, he heard that his friend had also won his second-round match yesterday. He was seen as a prodigy. Shirou didn't get the chance to find and congratulate him though.

Tian BuYi turned to Shirou: "Seventh. Today, your opponent is Wind Peak's Peng ChangYi. His element is fire; prefers offensive strikes. His sword, Five Dogs, is very dangerous; made from a thousand year old piece of flame copper. He is not like the weak YuWang from yesterday. You must be careful."

Shirou said respectfully: "Yes, master."

Tian BuYi nodded: "Good. Both of you, your _shiniang_ and I will be watching your _shimei's_ match today. Even if we are not there, do not feel that we do not care for you. Your _shimei's_ opponent is very cruel."

They both said: "Yes."

DaRen then looked into the distance: "Master, time is running short. Shirou _shidi_ and I should get going now."

Tian BuYi nodded and SuRu smiled, she said: "Keep an eye on yourself."

The two nodded and walked towards the outside of the crowd.

DaRen asked: "Shirou _shidi_, are you nervous."

Shirou shook his head: "No, I'm fine Da _shixiong_."

DaRen cheerfully smiled: "Don't think about the match too much; it doesn't matter if you win or lose. Although master and _shiniang_ really care about their reputation, the care about us above all us. Understand?"

"Yes."

DaRen nodded. The two finally got out of the crowd.

"It seems like we need to go in separated directions, Shirou _shidi_. Good luck to you; I hope you win again." Not waiting for Shirou to react, DaRen laughed and walked away.

Shirou stared at the large man's back for a moment and began walking towards his platform.

Below the Kan platform, most of Wind Peak's disciples were present. Shirou could see Gao _shixiong_ and the others that he met yesterday. Even though they wouldn't be cheering for him, they all smiled at him and were friendly. It seemed that ShuShu had told them all something about him. However, ShuShu wasn't here this time; he had his own match to fight.

Wind Peak was an important house in QingYun. It had over two-hundred disciples and was the third largest house behind the main-house, Widow's Peak, and CangSong's Dragon Head Peak.

Shirou informed the elder that he had arrived. The old man simply nodded and gestured for him to take the stage. Complying with the order, Shirou climbed up to the arena; his opponent was already there. A _shixiong_ from Wind Peak was in front of him. He was a huge guy, but his face was very kind and friendly.

The huge man folded his hands in front of him and smiled: "I am Wind Peak's disciple, Peng ChangYi. Shirou _shidi_, please give me your wisdom."

Shirou quickly greeted back: "Bamboo Peak disciple Shirou; greeting Peng _shixiong_. Please, give me all you got."

ChangYi startled, surprised by the bold greeting. His smiled left his face and his right hand made a slicing motion horizontally in front of him. In his right hand, he summoned a sword with a bright red glow. It looked like it was dowsed in flames.

"This sword, Five Dogs, is crafted with thousand-year-old flame copper. Shirou _shidi_, please." ChangYi's face had turned serious like he was facing a superior opponent.

Shirou could feel the heat from far away. The fire was strong and fierce. It was very different from Chu YuWang's soft and warm ShaoYang. He ignored the heat and summoned the same nondescript sword from yesterday into his hand. It didn't matter how hot his opponent's flames were; if his sword broke or melted, he would make another.

Shirou said: "This sword is nameless. I am ready, Peng_ shixiong_."

The entire arena was silent, waiting for someone to make a move.

Much like yesterday, Shirou's opponent acted first; however, ChangYi didn't opt to attack him. Instead, he cloaked his entire right arm and sword in a wreath of flames. Shirou frowned at the display; it seemed that his friend, ShuShu, had told Wind Peak how he had won yesterday. With the fire surrounding the blade, it would be difficult to apply the same tactic.

"Ceng _shidi_ told me how you won yesterday. Do not think that I will fall the same trick." ChangYi's eyes were deathly serious. He confirmed Shirou's suspicions.

Shirou smiled at his words: "I wouldn't dare underestimate Peng _shixiong_."

After he said his piece, Shirou's face turned stoic once more. ChangYi was shuffling his feet, looking for an opportunity to charge at his opponent.

The two stood there for half a minute gauging each other. ChangYi believed that Shirou was a superior opponent and, thus, he had to be treated with caution. Shirou simply preferred a defensive style.

Eventually, ChangYi grew impatient. The large man swiped his blade in front of him and sent a wave of flame towards his opponent. He was not idle like some of the competition that had already been eliminated. Already, he had begun moving and darting towards his opponent; hoping to close the distance. He would continue slashing the air with his sword, sending wave after wave of blazing fire to cover his assault.

Shirou didn't stay still and wait for the fire to come to him. He dodged and weaved out of the arcs of fire and tried to close the distance. The less of his skillset he would have to show the better.

Already, a backup tactic entered his mind.

It was dishonorable, but it was acceptable. His opponent believed that the plain sword in his hand was his Esper. Should it break, he wouldn't expect another.

Eventually, Shirou and ChangYi had closed the distance between each other; none of the two seemed worse for wear.

ChangYi had already forgotten about his previous reservations and opted for full aggression. He was definitely much more skilled with a blade than YuWang. His strikes were hard and fast, and Shirou was forced to parry his blows. Shirou didn't want to lock blades with his opponent; he didn't want to test if his fire could melt steel.

Thus, he opted for dodging and parrying. However, it seemed that ChangYi was growing frustrated from the lack of progress. Eventually among on onslaught of fire, he had made a mistake and overstepped his reach. Shirou briefly Reinforced his legs and capitalized on his overextension.

Now it was Shirou's turn; the boy had a small smile.

He was no less vicious that ChangYi; his sword a grey blur. His opponent had clearly picked up on his reservation to lock swords and tried to trap his nameless blade in a block. However, that was fine. ChangYi thought that he didn't want to commit to hard extended contact. That assumption would lead Shirou to victory.

Shirou kept at his assault, never swinging too wide or committing to an attack once ChangYi started to block. The heat from his Five Dogs was intense and caused him to sweat. Eventually, the two of them had settled into a rhythm. The sound of ringing steel echoed throughout the Kan platform in a regular fashion as the two swords met. ChangYi was happy to continue the exchange; Shirou's gray blade would eventually lose to his.

The stage was set and the conditions for victory were met. All Shirou had to do was execute his plan.

The nameless blade in his hand was in ruins. The metal was seared and blackened where it had contacted Five Dogs and its shape had started to warp. It didn't matter though. Shirou's next strike would finish the fight.

His opponent continued to block his glancing blows, thinking that his golden-eyed opponent was still searching for an opening. However, Shirou hadn't been using Reinforcement on either his blade or arms for this entire match; he had been using only his natural strength.

Thus, for his next strike, he poured his prana into his limbs and, subsequently, into his sword. His limbs grew stronger as his prana filled the emptiness and imperfections within his natural structure. The blade in his hands seemed to grow heavier and whatever remained of its cutting edge gleamed with new life.

With both entities Reinforced, he brought down his blade onto ChangYi. The man had positioned Five Dogs like he was blocking just another one of Shirou's strikes. He braced himself for contact, expecting Shirou to retreat fully afterwards.

When the two blades met, it felt like he was struck by a two-ton stone. ChangYi was so surprised and startled by the unexpected force that his arms couldn't continue to block the strike. He wondered what had changed in his opponent for this to happen. There had been nothing of note and there had been no gathering of residual magical energy.

Five Dogs was knocked out of his hands and spun to the ground a few feet away from the two. It scorched the floor where it landed, but the flames that surrounded it had disappeared.

Likewise, the flames that encompassed ChangYi's right arm had also disappeared. Disengaged from his Esper, ChangYi didn't possess the required skill to perform the technique alone. He felt a warm sensation on his neck and looked at his opponent's sword. It was miserable sight to say the least.

Shirou stood stoically behind his blade; golden eyes were cold and serious. In the end, he didn't need to resort to revealing his Esper, or confirm that the gray blade in his hands wasn't one. He stared into the confused eyes of his opponent and pushed his sword closer to ChangYi's neck.

"Thank you for the fight, Peng _shixiong_. I've learned a lot from our exchange."

* * *

"Good!"

Below the Qian platform, it was like another world. Everyone here was shouting loudly for the two beautiful figures on the stage.

The red light of Phoenix Soul and Aeolian Steel's own blue light lit up the stage fantastically, but the most beautiful thing were still the two young ladies on the stage. It had already been two hours since the battle had begun and, yet, there was still no conclusive result. Bamboo Peak's LingEr had survived long against XueQi's assault. Even facing a divine weapon like Aeolian Steel, the girl in red showed no signs of weakening.

Even the QingYun's Headmaster, Dao XuanZhen, was enraptured by the contest.

Tian BuYi and SuRu were worried about LingEr. However, seeing their daughter performing admirably and defending against her frosty opponent with equal footing, their hearts were relieved. Tian BuYi noticed SuRu nervous look.

The short master said to his wife softly, "Relax. LingEr will be fine."

SuRu turned and looked at her husband and smiled. She turned her attention back towards the platform once more.

Tian BuYi shook his head. Then, he noticed that there was a slight disturbance behind him with the disciples.

He turned his head and looked. His seventh had come back. Shirou seemed fine aside from some slight ash and dust on his robe and skin.

Shirou walked up to Tian BuYi and said, "Master, _shiniang_, I won."

Tian BuYi's face lit up in a smile and he nodded. SuRu turned around again and smiled at Shirou, gesturing for him to watch the match between LingEr and XueQi.

"_Shiniang_, how has the match gone so far?"

SuRu smiled and replied: "LingEr has performed admirably thus far. Even though she is up against a divine weapon, she is not at a disadvantage."

Shirou couldn't help but let out a small smile: "That is good to hear."

The two then turned their attention towards the platform.

XueQi had still yet to take Aeolian Steel out from its sheath, although, it was at least in her hands now. When she swung the sheathed sword, shards of ice flew towards LingEr. The Bamboo Peak disciple was responding to the assault very well. Phoenix Soul's silk was strong and defended against the cold assault. The two seemed to be at a stalemate.

Yet, from here, he could that LingEr's face was flushed and covered in sweat. XueQi, on the other hand, seemed as she had just started fighting. It didn't seem to matter if the fight took ten seconds or ten hours to the cold girl.

Phoenix Soul attempted to grab XueQi and crush her in its silken embrace. However, the Bamboo Heights' disciple was quick and agile. She jumped backwards and created some distance. The red silk tried to chase her, but it was forced to deal with another assault of ice shards. LingEr eventually stopped her assault in favor of defense.

Then, the strangest thing happened; XueQi took her eyes off of her opponent. For a split second, her cold blue eyes darted to him. They had met each other's gaze. Some of the frigidness seemed to leave those lovely eyes, but the emotion was short lived. The girl turned her attention towards her opponent again. It seemed that she was even more scornful than before.

Before, XueQi had been content allowing LingEr to tire herself out. She would have won from attrition. However, now, she wanted to end the spectacle. For the first time in the match, she stopped her barrage of ice shards and opted for another method of attack.

She swung her sheathed blade upwards, from the ground until it reached above her head. Seven pillars of ice then rushed towards LingEr with cold energy between them; a web of ice. The girl was startled, but reacted quickly to the new attack, she placed Phoenix Soul in front of her and conjured a red magical barrier. Silk piled up behind the shield in case it broke.

The technique that XueQi had performed was called Frostblade. It was a generally weak attack whose primary purpose wasn't to bring destruction, but actually slow an opponent. The web of cold energy between the ice pillars would chill their opponent and bring them to a crawl. Thus, it was expected that LingEr would be able to defend against this technique easily.

However, XueQi knew this fact as well. Thus, she prepared another technique specifically designed to crush an opponent's defense. After sending Frostblade to LingEr, she immediately gathered her magic again and began another incantation. To the crowd's surprise, her sheathed sword began to crackle with electricity; blue arcs flickered at random.

So far, she hadn't demonstrated an ability to use anything but ice. However, she was a true QingYun disciple through and through; lightning and ice were tools for her to wield.

When Frostblade was still traveling towards LingEr, XueQi lowered her blade from above her head. She thrust her sword forward. A spear of lightning traveled faster than anyone could see. It pieced through the frosty energy sent earlier and directly hit LingEr's barrier before the mass of ice.

The result was instant. The barrier wasn't anticipating such a focused attack and collapsed into shards of red light. The silk of Phoenix Soul didn't help against the technique either. Then, with nothing left to stop it, it ran straight into LingEr.

The girl's cultivation had provided her with enough magical resistance that the lance of lightning didn't do much damage. The technique had already been weakened by breaking through her defenses. However, the surge of frost also hit her body and caused her to let out a cry of pain. Immediately, she felt sluggish and cold.

Tian BuYi had stood up from his seat, his eyes full of concern. SuRu grabbed her husband's hand but her smile couldn't hide her worry.

However, LingEr was still not out of the arena and appeared to still be struggling against the numbing cold. XueQi saw this and her eyes narrowed in what seemed like annoyance. Yet, the Bamboo Peak's disciple was now a sitting duck. Even though her Esper was still functional, her body wouldn't be able to react in time for her next technique.

XueQi raised her blade to the heavens again. The sheathed divine weapon began to crackle with electricity. Above, the sky had turned dark and ominous. A sudden thunderstorm had arrived over the Cloud Sea.

Many of the masters' eyes widened and turned to ShuiYue. The head of Bamboo Heights shook her head and gestured towards XueQi's blade.

The technique was not Thunderblade, but rather a precursor to the legendary QingYun secret art. Thunderblade harnessed and concentrated the wrath of divine lightning into a medium. There was no lightning arriving at XueQi's sword and the girl had not performed the required chant. Nevertheless, thunder rumbled above her head ominously nonetheless.

Then, the cold girl swung her sword down and four bolts of lightning impacted LingEr at the same time. The girl was powerless to stop it. She had seen the technique being prepared and urged Phoenix Soul to help her. A simple red barrier was all she had time to put up and it was deftly shattered.

Thus, the four bolts converged onto their target and shocked the girl. XueQi stared at the sight of her electrocuted opponent with utter apathy.

Her eyes then turned towards Shirou's own golden eyes. His face was stoic, but his eyes were filled with fiery rage. She seemed surprised at his anger, but schooled her expression. Jumping into the air, she summoned her cloud and flew back towards her master, ShuiYue. XueQi hadn't even bothered to be crowned the winner; the result was obvious.

The crowd had been silent ever since XueQi suddenly decided to take the offensive. Now, they erupted in thunderous cheer and applause. The was stimulating and utterly enraptured the young QingYun disciples.

Of course, the Bamboo Peak disciples weren't cheering.

Shirou was the first to reach the platform and picked LingEr from the floor. Thankfully, she was unconscious. Her body had been burned by the lightning and her red dress was stained with her own blood. His grip began to tighten as his muscles coiled with an anger that couldn't be vented.

"Don't stand there, you useless people! Help them!" Tian BuYi shouted angrily.

Tian BuYi and SuRu had both stood from their chairs. Both of their expressions were neutral but their eyes full of anger. They rushed towards the platform following their seventh disciple.

That seemed to have snapped the rest of the disciples out of their shock. They rushed to their stage to assist their _shidi_ and help LingEr.

After a while, Shirou carried LingEr back towards the Bamboo Peak's assigned room with the other residents of the house. The usually jovial and joking atmosphere was gone and replaced with despondence and anger.

* * *

When LingEr woke up, her muscles were tensed. It felt like a thousand needles were stabbing her body. Her chest felt like it had been struck with a hammer and throbbed with pain. Her body trembled as it woke up.

A breath of relief came from beside her. "Thank the nine heavens, you woke up. LingEr woke up!" That familiar voice that was engraved into her heart was the first to come to her. It was anxious and relieved. LingEr opened her eyes and saw that it was Shirou.

It was like one of her dreams from along time ago. He was sitting by her side with his golden eyes looking at her so tenderly. She could see her own reflection with his own concern. She couldn't help smile despite the pain.

How she wished that this tender moment could last forever.

"I lost, huh?" whispered LingEr, her voice was small.

Shirou shook his head: "It wasn't your fault. XueQi was ruthless."

His statement didn't seem to help the girl; she just smiled forlornly.

Now, in the room, everyone gathered around her. Tian BuYi took her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief: "Good, there's no problem now."

The other residents of Bamboo Peak let out sighs of relief. Smiles entered their faces for the first time in what felt like hours.

LingEr moved her body. Except for some tiredness and the pain in her chest, her body was in surprisingly good condition. Her eyes widened: "Dad! Did you…"

Tian BuYi cut her off and nodded: "The burns from the lightning and the chill were not serious injuries; I used the QingYun's special ointments to cure them. Your body received on serious injury on your chest from XueQi's final technique. It should be fine after a few days of rest."

SuRu smiled at her daughter: "LingEr, without it, the burns alone would have taken more than a half-year to recover."

LingEr smiled gratefully at her parents. Her face was still sad: "Thank you Dad. Even though I shamefully lost…"

Tian BuYi's face softened: "How could I not do this for my own daughter."

The emotion didn't last long and his face became stoic again: "Besides, Bamboo Peak already has one member advancing to the next round."

LingEr's eyes widened: "Eh? Shirou won?"

Tian BuYi raised an eyebrow: "Why did you assume it was your _shidi_? Your Da _shixiong_ also had a match today."

LingEr blushed slightly and SuRu sighed. She waved towards the group of disciples: "DaXin, bring out a chair for your Da _shixiong_."

Fifth Lu DaXin quickly answered and brought out a chair for DaRen. The large man initially wanted to refuse, but then his body couldn't hold out any longer. He sat down, panting.

LingEr was surprised: "Da _shixiong_, what happened to you?"

DaRen smiled bitterly and didn't reply.

Fourth DaZhi responded in his place: "_Shimei_, in the Seven Peaks Tournament, only Shirou _shidi_ remains."

* * *

The night was dark. In the Cloud Sea, there was still some cloud vapor floating around; an ethereal land.

Tian BuYi stood in the square; his eyes looked at the sky. The night sky was filled with countless stars. Then moon was cold as frost and he couldn't help but remember the day's events.

Behind him, a set of familiar footsteps came. SuRu went to his side and looked at the stars with him. She smiled and said, "Feeling better?"

Tian BuYi snorted: "Hardly."

SuRu smiled: "You can fool DaRen, LingEr and the others, but you cannot fool me. Your eyes changed when you entered the room. Are you angry?"

Tian BuYi remained silent. He continued to look at the night sky.

SuRu shook her head: "You're already hundreds of years old and yet you still act this way."

Tian BuYi turned and glared at his wife: "How long has that been going on?"

SuRu responded: "I don't know. Something must have happened during this tournament."

Tian BuYi snorted: "You think I'd believe that? You saw them; how they looked at each other."

SuRu smiled: "LingEr has been acting strangely for the past few years. Don't you think?"

There was a moment of silence as Tian BuYi's mind reminisced about his daughter. Then, another snort came from the short master: "I can't believe I was that blind."

SuRu chuckled and patted her husband's shoulder: "What are you going to do once we get back to Bamboo Peak?"

Tian BuYi started: "Our house finally has a promising disciple; it would be a waste to get rid of him. I'll have to tell him a few things."

SuRu held her husband's hand and smiled: "I knew that you were soft hearted."

Tian BuYi blushed but quickly returned to normal. He peered around: "We're an old couple now. You don't think people will tease us?"

SuRu looked at him: "What? You're scared now that you've become the head of a house? Three hundred years ago, didn't you come to my room during the Seven Peaks Tournament at this Widow's Peak? That time, Master ZhenYu and ShuiYue _shijie _were nearby. I didn't see you scared then!"

Tian BuYi giggled: "Your master, ZhenYu, was already six hundred years old. She was already an old fool so I didn't fear her. As for your vicious _shijie_, I already hated her. It's fine if she wants to be alone for her entire life, but she wanted to keep you with her. I hated her so much already; there was no room for fear!"

SuRu glared at him: "Don't say bad things about my master and _shijie_, they mean a lot to me."

Tian BuYi shrugged and dropped that subject. Under the moonlight, he said: "No matter how good they are to you, you still married me in the end."

SuRu couldn't help but scold: "You have a silly mind."

Tian BuYi was in a very good mood now. He held his wife's hand and walked slowly in the Cloud Sea."

"BuYi, just let them be for now. They're young and they won't be for forever."

There was a long period of silence, then. Tian BuYi sighed: "Fine. You make it hard to be angry at you."

SuRu giggled and the two continued walking.

Suddenly Tian BuYi remembered something: "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Last night, Headmaster Dao XuanZhen summoned all the house heads to him. He said that he used some psychic art and talked to Master Spirit. He thought that Master Spirit had been acting strangely."

SuRu was interested but her face fell into a frown. "Was he?"

Tian BuYi nodded: "Apparently, Master Spirit thought that he sensed an evil presence nearby, but he couldn't find it."

"What are we going to do?"

"What can we do about it; Master Spirit couldn't find it. Master Spirit lived for six thousand years already. Your master became a doddering old fool after living for only six hundred years; it wouldn't be unusual if Master Spirit has become a fool!"

"…"

* * *

The next day, the sun rose like usual. The Bamboo Peak house arrived at the square. Half of the platforms were gone and left only four platforms in the cardinal directions.

Tian BuYi and SuRu walked in front. Shirou walked between the disciples. LingEr had stayed behind in the room to rest. Shirou turned his head back and asked BiShu: "Sixth _shixiong_, was Da _shixiong_ really injured so badly that he can't even walk?"

BiShu shook his head: "Master visited Da _shixiong_ this morning. He said that the battle between him and ChangJian was far too intense. One of them was pure offense while the other was all defense. It would have happened if either side won. It might have actually damaged his cultivation."

Shirou was surprised: "Even Da _shixiong_ couldn't beat him. I might lose miserably."

BiShu rolled his eyes: "If we're following common sense, yes that is true. You don't seem to follow common sense however!"

Shirou couldn't find any words to say and closed his mouth.

The platform to the north was extremely crowded; it was XueQi's contest no doubt. Tian BuYi snorted when he looked at that platform. His rage had not settled yet and his eyes still glared angrily in the direction of the person who defeated his daughter in such a miserable way. He led his disciples to the western platform.

After a few steps, Shirou's body saw a familiar sight. There were a group of people coming to their direction; an old man leading them. The person directly next to the old man was ShuShu. Behind them were about a hundred Wind Peak disciples. Shirou saw Gao _shixiong_ and his opponent from yesterday, Peng ChangYi.

The old man leading the group was the Wind Peak head, Ceng ShuChang. He looked at Shirou. His eyes didn't seem to be in working shape, but it felt as if he was able to see into people's hearts.

Tian BuYi greeted them, "Hello Ceng _shixiong_."

Ceng ShuChang replied: "Hello Tian _shidi_. I heard that your house has a prodigy named Shirou. His cultivation was unique and he was able to defeat my useless disciple ChangYi in yesterday's round."

Peng ChangYi's face flushed red in embarrassment.

A bit of anger entered ShuChang's eyes: "You have cultivated a good disciple, Tian _shidi_."

Tian BuYi frowned: "You flattered me Ceng _shixiong_."

ShuShu seemed apologetic and looked at Shirou. He said, "Sorry, I had to try to help Peng _shixiong_. Although, I don't think the information helped him in the end."

Shirou just waved him off: "It doesn't matter."

The two masters stared at each other for another moment. Then, ShuChang walked away; the Wind Peak disciples followed behind.

Tian BuYi peered at the Wind Peak people. He smiled coldly and then waved his hand and gestured to the Bamboo Peak disciples to continue moving to the western platform. As they got closer, they discovered that there were about two-hundred people that had gathered around the stage. It seemed like with the exception of XueQi's platform, the most crowded place in the Cloud Sea was Shirou's own.

Shirou was startled and turned towards his _shixiongs_: "So many people. Is Chang _shixiong_ really that strong?"

They all laughed. Fourth DaZhi said: "Chang _shixiong's_ cultivation is high for sure. But I think that they've mainly come here to see you, Shirou _shidi_!"

Shirou was surprised: "Why is that?"

DaZhi chuckled: "Now, only eight people remain in the Seven Peaks Tournament. You're the largest black horse. Who doesn't want to see what kind of strange thing you are?"

Shirou stopped talking.

Tian BuYi led them to the platform and the people crowded around moved out of the way when they saw that they were from Bamboo Peak. Many of the gathered disciples were from the main house, Widow's Peak. Because one of their disciples, ChangJian, was competing today, most of the main house came to Shirou's platform. But, many of the elders from the main house weren't here, not even Headmaster Dao XuanZhen was here.

Tian BuYi frowned and asked SuRu: "Headmaster is not here, is there anyone else from the main house participating today?"

SuRu shook her head: "No, for some reason, the disciples' from the main house aren't that good this time around. They've had a really poor showing; only ChangJian remains now."

Tian BuYi pondered on what his wife had said but then walked towards the six chairs located right below the stage. Only a white-bearded old man sat there. He rose from his seat when he saw Tian BuYi arrive.

Shirou raised a brow. It was the same elder from the contest between him and Chu YuWang during the second round.

The white-bearded old man seemed to also remember him. His eyes landed on Shirou for a moment and then he turned to Tian BuYi: "Tian _shixiong_, I never would have imagined that your house contained such a prodigy."

Tian BuYi seemed to have a good relationship with this elder. He smiled and said, "Fan _shixiong_ is overpraising me. Please, sit."

The bell rung and Tian BuYi turned to Shirou: "Seventh, go up there."

Hundreds of eyes landed on Shirou that instant. The boy replied, "Yes." Then, he walked to the stage without looking back.

Shirou stood at his end of the stage and waited for his opponent to arrive. However, something didn't seem right.

The people below the stage seemed like they had the same feeling as him. After a while, Shirou began to frown; his opponent had yet to arrive.

The disciples from the main house were worried and kept looking around. At that moment, a Widow's Peak disciple was running towards them. He rushed towards the white-bearded old man and whispered something to him.

Shirou saw the old man's eyes widen; the elder couldn't believe what he had heard. The elder asked: "Really?"

The disciple looked at the stage and nodded. The white-bearded old man's face turned pale and fell back into the chair. Tian BuYi was puzzled and asked: "Fan _shixiong_, what happened?"

The white-bearded old man looked at him weakly. He sighed and pulled himself back together, rose up and announced: "Main house, Widow's Peak, disciple ChangJian has given up today's battle due to injuries sustained by yesterday's contest."

Silence.

After a while, the crowd rose into an uproar. Though the QingYun disciples were noble and pure cultivators, many of them muttered various curses. As for the Bamboo Peak people, their first reaction wasn't cheer, but a surprised look. They looked at each other for a while and laughed.

SuRu smiled and said quietly to Tian BuYi: "I already said it. His luck is not common."

Tian BuYi chuckled.

That day, it seemed like all of the other disciples stared at Shirou like he was some kind of exotic beast. At the same time, the day's results came out. Shirou was fortunate enough to be listed in the semi-finals along with QiHao, XueQi and ShuShu.

Many people already expected QiHao to win the tournament. XueQi was also extremely popular for the past few days. However, Shirou and ShuShu entering the semi-finals was unexpected to many of the QingYun elders.

ShuShu was mainly known for being Ceng ShuChang's only son. Though many disciples in his own house, Wind Peak, knew that ShuShu was talented, he was not that well known outside of it in QingYun. During the contest, he defeated many opponents with flawless magical skills and amazed many people. Thus, he had earned a healthy reputation among the entire clan.

In comparison, Shirou seemed out of place with these other three people. During the competition, he was granted two passes. When he did compete, he didn't seem to have used any magical skill. To the QingYun disciples, he was an oddity; though, there weren't enough opportunities for many of them to learn more about him.

Now, on the stage, these four contestants stood shoulder to shoulder. Headmaster Dao Xuan Zhen and Master CangSong stood in front of them. XuanZhen had a smile on his face, but one could clearly see the dissatisfaction on his face. None of his own disciples remained in the tournament.

Below the stage, nearly a thousand disciples were gathered. All of the QingYun elders were sitting in the front. SuRu looked at the stage and whispered to Tian BuYi: "Shirou seems a bit uncomfortable."

Tian BuYi looked at his seventh disciple and snorted. He saw what his wife was able to find. On the stage QiHao stood cool and calm; ShuShu was smiling; XueQi was cold as frost; only Shirou was standing there next to XueQi as if he had tasted something foul. His right hand repeatedly clenched.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen looked at the four people. He smiled and turned to address the crowd: "Everyone, the Seven Peaks Tournament has now selected our top four disciples. Their talent surpasses many of us; amazing cultivation. The are our QingYun's elite, burdened with the future of the QingYun clan."

The crowd was silent. XuanZhen then turned towards CangSong and nodded.

The head of Dragon Head Peak nodded and announced: "Tomorrow's matchups: Dragon Head Peak's QiHao against Wind Peak's ShuShu, Bamboo Heights' XueQi against Bamboo Peak's Shirou…"

On the stage Issa nudged Shirou's arm: "Hey, I'm still sorry about earlier."

Shirou glanced at his friend: "It's truly nothing."

Issa shook his head: "I used your trust against you. It's my fault; my dad scolded me for bad information."

His eyes then turned serious: "You though – you bastard – you need to be careful tomorrow. Your next fight is against Bamboo Heights' icy beauty. Be careful. Try not to get killed by Aeolian Steel."

Shirou frowned and he clenched both of his hands into fists: "I know that; I'm prepared. It will be great if we are allowed to meet in the…"

He stopped his words. Both he and ShuShu felt a frozen chill down their spines. They turned and saw that XueQi's cold eyes were locked on them.

ShuShu gasped and pretended to listen to CangSong's reminders.

This left Shirou and XueQi staring at each other. XueQi's gaze seemed to soften once ShuShu had turned his attention away. Shirou only frowned and turned back to face the crowd. He was still a bit angered from her match with LingEr.

'What a confusing woman.'

After Master CangSong finished, the disciples were dismissed. The all went to prepare to tomorrow's semi-finals. Shirou and ShuShu walked down from the stage and they could feel a chill on their back. They wondered if XueQi had come from the northern ice plain.

Shirou said goodbye to ShuShu and he returned to the Bamboo Peak people. Tian BuYi looked at him and nodded. He addressed all of the disciples: "Let us return."

"Yes." A resounding shout.

Tian BuYi looked at Shirou. "Seventh, come with me. I wish to speak with you."

Shirou nodded and walked with Tian BuYi while the rest of Bamboo Peak returned to the dormitory.

* * *

The night had returned.

Tian BuYi had dragged Shirou to a private location away from the Cloud Sea.

He turned around and said: "Seventh."

Shirou responded: "Yes, master."

Tian BuYi said, "Tomorrow, you are fighting against a very strong opponent, Bamboo Heights' XueQi. Know that your master and _shiniang_ are very proud of you; victory or defeat, you have brought great reputation to our house."

"Thank you, master is too generous."

"That being said. It is imperative that you win tomorrow. If you lose, while we will still be proud of your accomplishments, your master will, personally, be disappointed by the result."

Shirou's eyes widened: "Master?"

There was a pause, Tian BuYi's eyes narrowed: "What is your intention with LingEr?"

"I… I don't understand."

Tian BuYi snorted, he tried another approach: "You and LingEr are rather close; when did this start."

"I still don't know what you are talking about…"

"You idiot! What's your relationship with her!"

"I don't know? She told me she loved me a few days ago."

Tian BuYi's eyes widened and then narrowed into a glare: "And what about you? What is your stance?"

"I… don't know? I think I'm attracted to her?"

Tian BuYi threw his hands up: "Bah! This is worthless! Whatever, it doesn't matter. Seventh, you will win tomorrow. I will not have LingEr love someone who cannot protect her."

Shirou could understand that at least: "I understand, master."

Tian BuYi waved him off: "Go."

As he watched Shirou's retreating back, a small smile made its way onto his face.

* * *

A/N: Welp, I think you know where next chapter's going now.

On another note, before I ramble about random things, I'm going to be moving to a new apartment for the next few days. I probably won't be able to do daily updates for a week or so as I set up utilities and other thing. Of course, I'll still have my laptop, so maybe I'll go to a Starbucks or something to upload.

Anyways, personally, I really want to get out of this tournament arc. Personally, I don't these type of events because it seems like the fights have no meaning other than just advancing towards the next stage. Call it romantic idealization, but I enjoy fights with some kind of greater purpose in novels or any media really. That being said, I really hope it didn't bleed into my writing, but I think it did.

BuYi realizes that his daughter is not a ten year-old girl here as well. Also, said daughter got fried, I wonder what Shirou will do in response.

Next chapter: I try to add suspense and drama into XueYi and Shirou's fight. We'll also get to see the finals. I really can't wait for after this arc; Shirou finally gets to leave QingYun and the story starts for real.


	7. Seven Peaks - 3

A/N: In this chapter, we wrap up the tournament and the four semi-finalists gather themselves to start the journey. We finally leave QingYun.

I managed to find some time to give this chapter a proofread and upload it. Unfortunately, I'm still a bit busy so the next one might not come immediately.

As for XueQi, she seem a bit strange and cruel - putting it mildly. Unfortunately, her reasons are her own and Shirou is nowhere near the stage at which the girl will trust him with her secrets. That's like a bond 4/5 conversation or, using FE terms, an S rank support conversation.

* * *

Seven Peaks – 3

The night was late.

Tian BuYi walked alone; ascending the steps of Crystal Hall.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen had called the masters for another meeting tonight. He urged that it was of utmost importance; attendance would be necessary. Thus, after his conversation with Shirou, the pudgy master walked up the steps to Crystal Hall for the discussion. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to retire early tonight.

In the hall, only one ebony chair was left unoccupied. Tian BuYi had been the last one to arrive. The other house heads glanced in the direction of approaching footsteps; their eyes annoyed by both his lateness and the headmaster's decree. Tian BuYi was long used to these menacing eyes; ignored them and sat down in his seat.

Master ShuiYue couldn't help but comment: "Tian _shixiong_, how nice of you to join us. Our bodies seem to be only half asleep; you've made good time."

Tian BuYi rolled his eyes. The woman's acidity towards him was legendary, so none of the other heads, even XuanZhen, commented.

Tian BuYi replied: "Shui _shimei, _I was warning my seventh to be careful in his match tomorrow. Your disciple, XueQi, is no joke; she defeated LingEr like my daughter was a fourth-rate cultivator. I simply fear for the health of the only disciple I have left in this Seven Peaks Tournament."

Mentioning LingEr seemed to make the cold woman's face soften: "Yes, it is a shame what happened to LingEr _shizhi_. I have already scolded XueQi for her actions after she returned."

Tian BuYi nodded; his face apathetic. One could see the resentment that the two masters had for each other. The tension between the two was thick; they continued to stare at each other without speaking. It was as if they were speaking a language that only they could discern.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen saw this interaction and sighed. He coughed into his hand; this seemed to break the two out of their silent contest. The main-house head put up a genial smile on his face and waited for both Tian BuYi and ShuiYue to settle back into their seats.

At this time, Sunrise Peak's master, Shang ZhengLiang, asked: "Headmaster, what did you want to talk to us about? It must have been of dire importance to summon us this late in the night."

Relieved that the meeting could finally begin, XuanZhen's face smiled; however, his eyes were serious and cold. The headmaster began: "Yes, yes. It's about that business with Master Spirit; that evil presence he felt. Master Spirit was able to remember something; there has been a breakthrough."

All of the other house heads' eyes widened; this was quite a serious topic. Any discord between the gathered masters disappeared; their faces turned stoic and serious. Seeing the other heads react like this made XuanZhen slightly happier. He coughed into his hand and started his recount.

"A few days ago, Master Spirit was able to sense a foul presence in our very own QingYun's Widow's Peak; it's unacceptable for such evil objects to burrow into our noble clan. Thus, I used the psychic arts to communicate with Master Spirit. Unfortunately, it seemed that at the time, Master Spirit had just woken up from a nap. He was able to tell me that he felt an evil sensation, but his mind was still hazy and couldn't remember the specifics."

The heads all nodded; this was old information.

"After the announcement of the semi-finals today, I had immediately gone back to Master Spirit's pond in front of Crystal Hall. He was already awake and seemed to be waiting patiently for my arrival. I used the psychic arts again and what I learned shocked me."

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen's eyes narrowed and his face turned cold: "Although Master Spirit was still not able to tell me where he originally felt this evil sensation, he was able to tell me where it currently was: QingYun's Crystal Hall. I was greatly startled that an evil item could make it into a QingYun holy site. Unfortunately, as much as I trust my _shixiongdi_, I cannot allow this to continue due to my duties. No one individual can be above this suspicion."

The entire hall was silent. XuanZhen stared at each of the branch-house heads' eyes. Suddenly, a cough came from one of the chairs to the headmaster's right. It was CangSong.

The head of Dragon Head Peak coughed into his hand twice and met the steely eyes of Headmaster Dao XuanZhen. Without any fear or anxiety, he said: "Headmaster, I believe that there has been a grave misunderstanding."

XuanZhen's expression didn't change, but his eyes looked slightly curious: "How so CangSong _shidi_? Please, enlighten us about this overlooked fact."

CangSong nodded and began his explanation: "I believe that the evil sensation that Master Spirit sensed was indirectly by my accord. Before the Seven Peaks Tournament, a few of my disciples had gone on a training exercise to eradicate a few Mo followers near our noble house.

"Recently, these disciples have finished their mission and arrived at our main house Widow's Peak in order to deliver their reports to me. The stragglers that they killed were part of the GuiDao clan; a group of individuals engaging in heresy to discover the borders between life and death. They brought back a relic from their site called Netherworld Stone.

"Netherworld Stone is said to be able to fully resurrect an individual given that there is still a physical body for the returned soul to inhabit. My disciples feared that this property would be abused by the GuiDao clan to revive one of their elders from the war a thousand years ago. Thus, I also felt that this treasure would be safer in our hands rather than those of the Mo factions."

There was quite the bit of surprise at CangSong's admission. Netherworld Stone was quite the rare treasure; it's said that there were only five ever in existence. Three of the stones had already been used in the past; though, the degrees of success for its usage were unknown. Thus, an evil relic like this must be quite potent, enough for QingYun's Water Kirin to notice its presence.

At this, XuanZhen let out a sigh: "CangSong _shidi_, you have made an excellent and prudent decision. We cannot allow such an artifact to remain in the hands of the Mo. However, you have still overstepped your boundaries. If you receive such an item, be sure to inform your _shixiongdi_ about it. We were all quite concerned with Master Spirit's behavior."

CangSong lowered his head in apology: "Headmaster is far too kind. This foolish master has made a grave mistake. I will accept any punishment that the rest of the house heads deem necessary."

XuanZhen shook his head before any smart replies could be made: "No, no. There is no need for such an action CangSong _shidi_. You have been a loyal and valuable member of QingYun for a very long time. We don't question your actions; they were made with good intentions."

CangSong folded his hands in front of him: "Headmaster is indeed far too kind."

The QingYun headmaster waved off his apology: "If that is the case, then we have nothing more to discuss. Please, _shixiongdi_, get some rest for tomorrow's festivities."

With that, CangSong and the other five observing masters got up from their seats and bowed towards XuanZhen. They walked back to their rooms.

* * *

Standing on the stage, the early dawn sun shone upon Shirou. Its soft rays warmed his body and heart against his frigid opposition. He stood there expressionless, staring at the fairy like XueQi.

From a distance, floating in the sky, the frosty lady's scorn was so obvious; yet, Shirou couldn't help but remember those emotional gazes. Her countenance may have been one of cold apathy, but, underneath, he was able to see a soft personality. Strangely enough, these curious gazes were seemingly always directed at him.

'What an impossible woman.'

Behind XueQi, Aeolian Steel was glowing brilliantly with blue light. Shirou looked at the legendary item and thought to himself: Is that what I'm going against.

Compared to the divine sword, his constructs were brutish and ugly. When compared to Aeolian Steel, how could he call a simple nondescript iron blade a sword when they appeared no more than shaped lumps of metal compared to his opponent's sword. He then shook his head; to him, the appearance was unnecessary and superfluous. The simple gray blades that he conjured with Celestial Tear were simply tools.

There were only two platforms left in the Cloud Sea. QiHao and ShuShu had been assigned to the western platform for their battle; however, not even a third of the attending disciples decided to watch their match. Instead, the majority of the viewers were surrounding the eastern platform, the one where XueQi and Shirou would fight.

Almost everyone was drawn by the ever popular XueQi and the enigmatic Shirou. As for the QingYun elders, most of them shared the same sentiments as the younger generation and had also attended Shirou's match.

Even Headmaster Dao XuanZhen was watching.

Naturally, the entirety of Bamboo Peak was here for Shirou's match. Tian BuYi's seventh disciple was the last one remaining from his house after all. A chair had been brought out for DaRen by the Widow's Peaks disciples at the behest of Tian BuYi; his first didn't want to miss his _shidi's_ fight.

Similarly, LingEr had also come to watch her love's battle. The willful girl had denied the other disciple's requests to stay inside the room and recover. Her usual clothing was gone; instead, she wore some loose-fitting red garments. Her body was still bruised and bandaged underneath; her normally tight clothing would have caused her additional pain.

The girl had denied a seat when her father had offered to beckon for one. She still hated to be seen as weak and defeated. The beautiful woman stood tall behind her parents with pride despite her injuries. Her emerald eyes searched the stage for Shirou; she found him quite easily. Shirou seemed to notice the additional attention and turned towards her. Their eyes met and the two shared a small smile.

Eventually, XueQi had arrived onto to the platform. With her arrival, the entire platform burst into cheers. The viewers were now in discussion about how fast Shirou would lose; would it be in a second or in the blink of an eye.

Below the stage, Tian BuYi frowned. Despite what he said the previous night, he knew that Shirou's cultivation was far below XueQi's. However, he also knew that SuRu had religiously trained him for the better part of two years. Unfortunately, the battle was not set in stone; Shirou would have to work hard and endure for a victory today.

SuRu, who was sitting next to him, noticed her husband's concerned visage and placed her hand on top of his. She smiled as Tian BuYi turned his head to meet her. She said: "Don't worry. Shirou will win."

Tian BuYi snorted: "He better. I told him I won't allow a weakling to see LingEr."

SuRu rolled her eyes and slapped his arm playfully: "You know you don't mean that. You're just concerned."

Tian BuYi didn't respond to his wife anymore. SuRu also turned her attention back to the stage. It seemed that the fight was about to begin.

Shirou had turned his attention away from LingEr and the rest of the Bamboo Peak residents. Instead, he gazed indifferently at his opponent, XueQi. While he was still angered from the cold girl's treatment of LingEr, anger would cloud his judgement and only make the fight harder. From what he saw, he had his work cut out for him. Today, he would need everything at his disposal to win. His mind thought back to LingEr's match and the various techniques he saw.

Under the rising sun, XueQi's angelic face was shining. She felt Shirou's eyes on her and turned her cold gaze towards him. Like the other times, her expression seemed to soften at the sight of the red-haired boy.

However, XueQi quickly discovered that Shirou was only using his eyes to look at her. Shirou's eyes seemed empty and indifferent; he was thinking of something else and ignoring her existence. It was her first time experiencing such a hollow gaze from anyone. Normally, people gazed at her with restrained affection or lust. Her eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"Ding!"

The bell rang and echoed throughout Widow's Peak. The viewers surrounding the eastern platform quickly quieted down.

XueQi straightened her body and took a deep breath. She only needed to win two more battles – only two more – and she could make her dreams a reality and reach her master's expectations. It was a shame that she had to defeat someone who understood her pain. Nevertheless, Aeolian Steel brightened up behind her back

"Bamboo Heights' disciple Lu XueQi: please impart your wisdom."

Shirou's mind returned from his analysis. His eyes lazily flicked back towards his opponent for the day. He suppressed the underlying anger when he saw XueQi's cold eyes.

Shirou slowly turned his head to the girl; his eyes were like steel. He said lightly: "I am Bamboo Peak's disciple Shirou. _Shijie_, please don't hold back."

XueQi startled. People normally said polite things before each of the battles. Shirou gave her a weird feeling though; who says don't hold back? It sounded like sarcasm but his expression made it seem the opposite. Even though she had prior thoughts and feelings about her opponent, she erased them from her mind. Such affections and considerations would only inhibit her. Her lips curled into a slight smile; perhaps Shirou had said those worlds intentionally.

However, XueQi was the favored disciple of Master ShuiYue; her mind was strong. Her face quickly schooled itself into one of cold apathy. Not speaking anymore, she reached behind her back to grasp Aeolian Steel. She felt that she would need to start prepared against her opponent.

Shirou looked at that bright blue light growing ever brighter and more intense. The glow had turned his entire body blue now. At that point, he couldn't feel any traces of nervousness; instead, he was filled with a sense of anticipation.

In his hand, he rapidly conjured a simple gray sword.

Questioning gazes and even laughter broke out from below the stage. Compared to the noble and beautiful Aeolian Steel, his plain sword was like an ugly steel worm. At this point, it was a dead, ugly worm; not even a hint of celestial light leaked out from his construction.

A warm sensation began to fill his body much like that day where he had traveled to the ancient valley with LingEr in pursuit of XiaoHui. For some reason, PuZhi's bead seemed excited today. Though he had only felt it once prior, the circulation of the warm energy seemed to be more vigorous than usual. Shirou felt that if the bead wasn't strung on a piece of red string that it would have already charged at XueQi.

No, it wouldn't charge at XueQi; it would go to Aeolian Steel. This strange feeling was like two hated enemies meeting each other for the first time in a thousand years.

At that moment, XueQi's face also changed a little. The glow from Aeolian Steel was too bright; even she was puzzled by it.

Yet, on the stage, another unexpected thing occurred. Shirou and XueQi didn't make a move. The two of them just stared at each other.

The crowd began to murmur.

XueQi realized that Aeolian Steel was acting slightly weird. She had used her eyes and mind to check, but there was nothing abnormal. Aeolian Steel just seemed a little overly excited.

Feeling the numberless eyes below the stage, XueQi frowned and focused her mind. She snorted and kicked out all of her prior thoughts. They would only distract her mind. Aeolian Steel brightened; its glow insufferable. The blade still had its sheath on.

Since the beginning on the Seven Peaks Tournament, Aeolian Steel had become the main focus and attraction for many of the disciples. Until now, XueQi had defeated all of her opponents without ever having to unsheathe the sword. Naturally, this caused many people to wonder who could possibly make XueQi actually draw out her blade. Many people guessed that it would be during the final match; with QiHao's cultivation, he should be able to do it.

The blue light from the sword shined on Shirou's face, but it was unable to reflect any of his expression. The gray sword stayed in his hand, muted. He shifted his feet into a defensive stance.

Even though SuRu had already seen Shirou fight, it was the first time that the rest of the Bamboo Peak residents watched him. LingEr frowned in concern for the golden eyed boy. She had noticed the difference between the two blades. Why hadn't he used his Esper for something better?

BiShu had just snorted: "If it weren't for him being on the semi-final's stage, I would have believed he was destined to be knocked out in the first round."

Now, on the stage, XueQi twisted her left hand into an incantation seal. Aeolian Steel shifted in her right arm; her limb tightening for a fight. Her form seemed to be filled with an unearthly strength. The cold girl charged at Shirou with unstoppable momentum.

Shirou saw this girl move, of course, and immediately started to prepare for a counterattack at the last moment. His opponent was arrogant and most likely expected herself to be stronger. Thus, he raised his nameless blade to the appropriate height and braced his body.

"Clang!"

Unfortunately, he didn't expect for her entire blade, sheath and all, to simply demolish his construct. The gray steel blade splintered into a thousand fragments where XueQi had struck her blow. The segment above the point had already dissolved into motes of golden light.

Thus, Shirou was left wide-eyed and holding a fragment of the weapon that had existed not a moment prior. It was at this moment that he was truly grateful XueQi hadn't unsheathed her blade yet. The cold girl's eyes widened in shock when she barreled through the nameless blade; however, the expression quickly morphed into one of disappointment. The girl had clearly expected him to have something more.

At the next moment, under the stunned eyes of the audiences, Shirou was now exposed and vulnerable; he received a hard blow. His body had been launched backwards from the strength behind the girl's swing.

The Bamboo Peak people rose up, some screamed out like BiShu. LingEr placed her hands over her mouth in shock. She knew that his Esper was not that low-quality blade, so she wondered why had he been so insistent on using it.

Shirou's back hit one of the pillars around the platform and his body then fell to the floor. Blood spurted out from his mouth and landed in a mess in front of him. The audience had expected this. In their eyes, he was another victim of XueQi's ruthless tactics. The frosty girl had destroyed his Esper, it was only natural that he would be heavily injured.

The various elders and master all frowned at the sight. Clearly there was something amiss. Even though Shirou had been let through two rounds for free, he shouldn't have been this pathetic.

Tian BuYi's eyes narrowed into a frown; SuRu just sighed.

The audience was silent; the power of Aeolian Steel had shocked everyone.

Nevertheless, XueQi's cold face showed not a drop of hesitation. Her opponent was still standing and she had not won. Thus, there was another flash of blue light and the Aeolian Steel heartlessly chopped at Shirou. However, her assault was stopped when she encountered another mundane looking gray blade. This time, it hadn't broken from her strike.

Her eyes widened as she felt a sudden surge of might from her quarry.

Shirou had seen how downward flash and hastily created another blade using Celestial Tear. This time, he poured his prana into both its creation and its Reinforcement. He had seen what happened to the previous iteration; luckily, the Reinforced object managed to hold strong.

However, judging by the damage accrued from the exchange, it would only last another strike – maybe two – at most.

If that was the case, Shirou judged that he would have to go on the offensive. He couldn't allow his opponent to control the flow of battle and, subsequently, when he would have to reconstruct his blade. It would be too much to handle; he would eventually make a mistake.

Thus, he created an identical blade in his left hand, reinforced his legs, and charged towards XueQi.

The girl's eyes only widened for an instant as he created his second weapon. She quickly focused and met the first strike. Fragments of sharp steel exploded from the contact. The mundane gray sword had only a single strike left in it; Shirou's judgement had been proven correct. However, the girl was unable to capitalize on the opening due to another strike coming from his other arm.

It was quite vexing. The two arms covered for one another. Since the second blade had been created after the first had already been damaged, their breaking points were staggered. Thus, there was no obtuse moment where Shirou was without any weapon. He was constantly reforming his weapon and keeping his assault at a demanding pace.

The weapons also dissolved once they had served their usefulness. There was no extended opening to take advantage of. As soon as the blade vanished from his hand, he was able to reposition his limb without any awkwardness.

XueQi knew this was a bad situation; even though she was a capable swordswoman, her opponent was definitely her superior in that department.

Thus, she couldn't help but feel relieved when she managed to finally disengaged from Shirou's onslaught. She swung her blade and created a hail of ice to cover her retreat.

The blue light had drifted across the platform with a mesmerizing view. Even though they had just exchanged physical blows, the giant, hard wooden planks of the platform were drifted away like paper scraps. Each clash of steel was like the thunder's roar.

Not a single member of QingYun could remain normal. Since the beginning of the contest, there was no battle as tense or exciting as this one. Just after crossing swords, the entire platform was already sunk.

Nevertheless, once XueQi had created a distance, she instantly set herself to work. Time was precious and she would not waste a second. Her left hand scrunched into a different incantation seal and Aeolian Steel throbbed with ice cold energy.

She repeated the same motion and technique from her battle with LingEr. Her opponent was fast and a close ranged fighter; Frostblade would help alleviate those two issues. Even though she was able to fight with a sword, her magic was far superior.

Yet, she didn't stop at this technique. She quickly swung her blade again, repeating the same technique as before now that she was hidden behind a wall of ice. Thus, two claws of ice, with chilling energy between them, surged towards Shirou.

The red-haired boy didn't seem distraught. He reinforced his limbs to the maximum and swung at each claw with incredible force. He had also used the beginnings of Brahman Wisdom to supplant his reinforced strength. Each strike felt as though they could rip mountains.

XueQi was nowhere to be seen; he frowned in concern.

His instincts then told him to dodge; he quickly followed. A shower of sparks and lightning spears converged on his previous location and caused the platform to crackle and smoke. Turning his head upwards, he found his opponent. She had already sent out another volley.

He was not without long ranged attacks; melee was not actually his specialty. Rather, anything relating to the concept of swords strangely was.

Shirou poured his magical energy into Celestial Tear and, from behind him, a set of twenty or so nondescript gray blades flashed into existence. With a wave of his arm, the assembled steel flew towards XueQi and her spears of lightning. The blades met their opposition and the clash canceled both techniques. The remaining swords flew to the girl.

Instantly, XueQi willed the cloud she was standing on to move; narrowly missing the hail of blades. She dodged and weaved in between volleys of blades; Shirou had not stopped his attack. Naturally, she readied her attacks in between these dances.

It appeared that the two were at an impasse again.

Just after this brief while, the entire platform had already been completely destroyed from their fight. Cracks and burns from lightning; gouges and slashes from deflected swords. The surrounding audience had backed up from the platform for quite a distance.

Even with these brief exchanges, Shirou suffered more than the audience could tell. The divine nature of Aeolian Steel was far greater than he could ever imagine. Every time his blades clashed against XueQi's, the magical and spiritual channels of his body were shocked. If it weren't for his reinforcement and his practice with Brahman Wisdom, he would have already been dead.

On the other hand, XueQi did not seem to feel a thing except for annoyance and frustration. The light that Aeolian Steel emitted grew brighter and brighter every passing second. It seemed that she was biding her time for a finishing technique.

The heavens continued to crack with lightning and ice; the ground kept releasing a torrent of steel. With each subsequent technique, Aeolian Steel's light now eclipsed the brightness of the sun. With a roar, XueQi summoned her strength into a single attack. Eight bolts of lightning flashed towards her opponent.

Nothing was unexpected at this point. Shirou had blocked the attack by forming what seemed to be an interlocking dome of steel.

XueQi's frustration only grew and had passed the critical point. She could feel the blood rushing towards her mind and almost lost her balance in mid-air. She became angry and anxious. From the battle, she could tell that her opponent's cultivation in Pure Essence was far behind her own, but his skills were so strange and powerful. Even Aeolian Steel cold only gain the upper hand on a surface level.

The beauty gritted her teeth; face flushed with pink. Her clothes started fluttering without the wind. Seeing the wall of steel that separated her from her opponent, she conjured another set of lightning to break them down.

Aeolian Steel was grasped tightly in her left hand. XueQi held out her right hand and held the handle. At the instant her hand touched the divine weapon, its blue light glowed so bright that it swallowed her body. The sky-blue sword let out a loud bang like a dragon's roar. The cloud below XueQi disappeared, but both her and Aeolian Steel rose straight into the sky.

Shirou had already forgotten about everything else around him. The battle had set a wave of adrenaline to his heart and mind. He had only experienced this sensation from his _shiniang's_ training. That paled in comparison to this. Some primitive, savage, part of his brain couldn't help but be excited.

Subconsciously, he sent more power into Celestial Tear; with his cultivation, he rose to the sky. The hiss of drawn steel and the rings of dancing steel echoed through the air from his ascent. An ensemble of blades appeared behind his back, waiting for a command from their master.

The sounds had shocked the earth; the heavens themselves had changed!

Suddenly, the blue light flashed, the wind began to whistle and grew in volume. It became deafening; no one could hear any other sound. The blue light concentrated together and formed a giant pillar and struck Shirou from above the head. It seemed like it would cut Widow's Peak in half.

Shirou's face twisted as he was engulfed in the light. His eyes, nose, mouth and ears were bleeding. Yet, his eyes had no sense of fear; only a sense of resolved determination. He held his swords, but they broke. Pair after pair shatter under the strain. Such common steel would not be able to face retribution from the heavens themselves. If only he was able to create something better.

The warm sensation on his chest was scalding hot. It sent a torrent of energy with each pulse. His very soul felt as if it were on fire; blood began to heat up like molten iron. With each second, the blue light became more oppressive.

Then, he felt his mind snap.

A wave of new information entered his brain; a blueprint for a pair of swords. He didn't process where it had come from or why it had entered his mind. Anything to stop this attack would be welcome at this point. It seemed that these two blades were of a substantially higher quality than his own mundane toothpicks. After witnessing these two wonderful crafts, he couldn't dare call his ugly things blades.

Celestial Tear responded to his woes. From his own magical energy, he formed two blades. His Esper had enhanced them.

They were a set of short falchions. Their quality was unparalleled due to being made with the best materials and a human sacrifice. Their grips were large and heavy. Identical in shape; their only difference was their color. The first was a black sword representing the life-energy, Yang, and covered in a hexagonal pattern like a tortoise's shell. The second was a white sword representing spirit-energy, Yin; it was hazy like a cloud, its edge billowed with a wavy pattern.

With a human sacrifice, they had engraved their name into the realm of the Gods. They also felt strangely comfortable in his arms. GanJiang and MoYe – Kanshou and Bakuya – felt like long lost friends.

With a roar, Shirou swung the two swords; his strike parted the sea of blue light.

The QingYun disciples held their breath. No one dared underestimate Shirou anymore. The elder' looks had changed.

Tian BuYi frowned and asked his wife: "Did you give him those blades? I believe I would have remembered a pair like those."

SuRu shook her head: "No, this is my first time seeing them too. I wonder where he came across such fine works."

This contest – a semifinals match – had become a battle of life and death.

Yet, why had no one come to stop the fight?

"Beng!" It was like a boom of thunder. The entirety of Widow's Peak seemed to shake under the deafening sound. The blue light, now parted, began to back up. XueQi reappeared in the sky, holding Aeolian Steel, a stream of blood flowed out slowly from her mouth.

Below the stage, Master ShuiYue stood up.

In mid-air, Shirou could only hear the wind next to his ears. His eyes were blurred; the blood almost covered his eyes. If he could hear, he would have heard the screaming from the residents of Bamboo Peak from below. Yet, he didn't care; this was a fight that must win.

LingEr could only watch the spectacle feeling utterly powerless. The pain that Shirou felt, she could do nothing to assuage it.

XueQi felt extreme pain throughout her body. Her magical energy was in a constant state of flux. It felt like her very life was about to leave her body.

It was a moment of life and death.

It was an instant that had lasted for an eternity.

That beautiful lady stood alone in the wild wind. She let the wind blow at her face like her opponent's blades. She still didn't back up. She lifted her head; looked at the sky.

The billowing wind suddenly stopped; frozen in the air.

The world was suddenly quiet; stopped at that exact moment.

A low roar seemed to come from the heavens; resounding through the earth.

XueQi drew out the divine sword, Aeolian Steel.

The blue light disappeared; her sword greedily sucking in the light. The clear blade's edge absorbed the dazzling display.

Widow's Peak was utterly silent!

The thousand-year-old Aeolian Steel was finally unsheathed!

XueQi's face was cold as frost. Her hand held the incantation marks; shifted between seven forms. She walked forwards seven steps in mid-air. The sword in her hand pointed directly to the sky. Her face was completely pale, her mouth began to move:

"_Rage of the nine skies, turn thyself into divine thunder."_

_ "Might of heaven, fill my sword!"_

Then, the originally clear sky turned dark. Black clouds appeared in the great expanse. The roars of thunder echoed through the square; lightning flashed at the edge of threatening clouds. A fierce wind blew.

Shirou opened his mouth and gritted his teeth. This scene, it had appeared in his mind; a memory from a long time ago. On the ground, all the elders and even Headmaster Dao XuanZhen stood up, turned and looked at Master ShuiYue with an unbelievable look on their faces.

After a moment, Tian BuYi said: "You have raised a good disciple!"

ShuiYue ignored everyone. Her cold face eventually showed her worry as she continued to watch the two contestants.

"Thunderblade!" Headmaster Dao XuanZhen slowly moved his eyes away from the dazzling technique. His heart was shocked. Never in his imagination did he think that, among the young QingYun disciples, there would be such an extraordinarily talented cultivator.

But he looked at XueQi's face. Although she was able to cast this kind of amazing magic, her body was shaking; face was pale. It seemed that her strength had reached its limit.

The howls of thunder were getting more rapid. Shirou could feel the purple bead on his neck burning his skin with energy the moment that Aeolian Steel was unsheathed. The object had shouted from the depths of its being.

It was like it had waited for this moment for a thousand years!

The sky was getting even darker and the black clouds now covered overhead. A swirl then appeared in the thick overcast.

It was like the path to one of the hells; the dark, bottomless, giant swirl hanging upside down in the sky. A demon had opened its mouth and was about to swallow everything in the world. The fierce gales were freezing; wind gathered the clouds closer. Thunder howled; lightning flashed.

Shirou willed his body forward and flew to XueQi. The splendid forms of Kanshou and Bakuya were shining brilliantly with life and energy; very noticeable under the dark clouds. XueQi looked at the figure of Shirou and the two beautiful swords in his hands; she paled.

Thunderblade was the highest level of QingYun magic. Using a normal body to summon the might of heaven and earth, it was clear that XueQi was under an extremely heavy pressure. Aeolian Steel was a divine weapon, a perfect conduit for casting Thunderblade. Even with that, XueQi's cultivation was not high enough to perform such a technique.

She could feel it coming from the dark clouds; wave after wave of energy rushed into her body like an angry tide. Much like Shirou from earlier, no one could see anything weird on the outside. Her blood was boiling, swelled by the great force. If it wasn't for Aeolian Steel constantly absorbing her energy, XueQi would probably already fallen unconscious.

The wind whistled and the thunder continued to roar. She stood in mid-air, feeling as powerless as grass in the wind. The next moment, she recalled what her master said when she was taught this skill.

'XueQi, you possess a potential that I've only seen in one other in my entire life. But this incantation is too strong, the backfire from the technique is hard to withstand. Your cultivation is still basic. Though you can manage to cast it, never use it if it not necessary. Otherwise, you are risking your life."

"Bang!"

A thunder burst right above Widow's Peak. Everyone could feel the earth below them slightly shaking. It was like the ancient god of thunder was awoken from sleep and roared in anger.

Everyone's faces paled.

Shirou was only twenty feet away from XueQi. By looking at the situation, everyone knew once XueQi was finished with her channeling, he would turn into dust. However, Shirou stopped; it was like he hit a soft wall. He couldn't advance any farther.

Shirou's face turned deathly pale. Thunderblade is one of the final-tier QingYun spells; so amazing that it forms an invisible barrier while channeling. Shirou couldn't advance.

The purple bead around his neck was getting brighter, but he still couldn't advance. In comparing magical strength, the bead around his neck and the swords in his hands were definitely not weaker than Aeolian Steel. However, the difference in cultivation was far too great. He would not be able to match XueQi's supreme art that had been refined by QingYun masters for a thousand years.

At that hopeless moment, just when the swirl of clouds became more rapid; lightning flashing; the light of Aeolian Steel getting brighter; the moment that this supreme art was about to be complete, XueQi's body suddenly shook. Her white face turned red and she spat out a large amount of blood.

The light of Aeolian Steel became unstable; XueQi gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She focused her mind and magic on Aeolian Steel. After a moment, the light became stable. It was getting even brighter; so bright that one had to avert their eyes.

A bang came from the dark clouds. A light came from the deepest parts of the giant swirl. It was a cluster of numerous bolts of lightning. They were all aimed at XueQi's Aeolian Steel.

But, a wave of hopelessness rose in XueQi's heart. Just as she had expected, a sharp whistle came. She was too focused on protecting Aeolian Steel and ignored the barrier. Without the barrier, Shirou had charged forwards.

The Sinister Orb around his chest felt content to help him again; magical might surge into his frame. He poured every once of strength and prana into the two blades in his hands. With the great influx of magic, the two of them shattered and elongated. No longer were they a pair of short falchions; they were as large as longswords. Their spines had turned into a mess of crystalized energy and the two of them seemed like steel wings.

Shirou and those two beautiful blades charged at that lovely lady in the wind.

Is that it?

Everything ends here?

XueQi's heart calmed down; her mind played with these thoughts lightly.

At that instant – just at that short instant – the world was quiet, frozen; everything was fixed. Only she was standing in mid-air; her clothes and hair fluttering. She reopened her eyes and watched as the crystal steel wings approached her.

That moment felt like an eternity!

Shirou saw her and her eyes!

She stood there alone in the storm, so quietly facing the might of heaven on her lonesome. Only her face was a bit pale. Her eyes were dowsed in sorrow and a bit of panic.

The wind screamed. The world was lonely. That beautiful lady, quietly stared at him.

Shirou met her sad eyes, his face molded into a solemn smile.

The crystal steel blades entered the light of Aeolian Steel. No one could see the two figures anymore. At that moment, a giant bolt of lightning came from the sky and landed on the divine sword.

The whole world, all the gods, seemed like they had sung together.

The giant light pillar refracted and twisted from Aeolian Steel. With earth crushing momentum, it struck at Shirou. At that critical juncture, the two steel wings rose up and blocked in front of him.

At the next moment, Shirou had been swallowed by the light.

It had been a long time.

The dark clouds scattered and the light disappeared.

The QingYun people stared at the sky and watched the beautiful woman holding her sword fall, like a rock covered with blood. Two slashes across her chest

She did not fall onto the floor. ShuiYue swiftly approached below her and caught her falling body with the gentlest of embraces. She disappeared without saying a word.

Thus, a lone figure stood in the air.

Those beautiful twin blades, representing Yin and Yang, expanded into crystal wings, shattered. Motes of golden light billowed behind him, carried by the whispering wind. His body fell forwards; falling to the ground.

Tian BuYi was already there at the platform like Shirou's own shadow. He caught his seventh disciple. Immediately, he opened Shirou's mouth, took out a vial and poured some yellow pills into his disciple's mouth.

The pills dissolved quickly in Shirou's mouth. Tian BuYi didn't say anything. He jumped up and Flame Spirit rose up below him. He flew away. He didn't look back at the square. Judging by the direction he was heading; he was going towards Bamboo Peak.

SuRu and the rest of the residents of Bamboo Peak soon followed.

At that time, XueQi was already being carried by her master. She silently looked at the sky; looking at that red light in the sky. Her face lit up in a beautiful, small smile. She drifted into the realm of unconsciousness.

* * *

He was asleep for what felt like a thousand years.

Shirou slowly opened his eyes.

Soft light shined onto his face. There was a familiar scent floating inside of the room.

Resting on his bandaged chest was LingEr. The girl had fallen asleep on his body.

He smiled and slowly sat up. Just when he was about to raise his hand to rub away the sweat from his forehead, a heart tearing pain came from his shoulders, chest and stomach. He gasped and his face turned pale.

The beautiful girl in red started awake at the sound and her eyes immediately turned to him. They were red and puffy as if the woman behind them had been crying her heart away. She opened her mouth in shock but then her eyes filled with horror. She gestured Shirou to lie back down in the bed. The moment that he was lying peacefully back in his bed, the girl let out a sigh of relief. Never did she smile.

"LingEr… I…"

"Don't."

"…"

There was a moment of silence. The girl sniffled; fresh tears leaked from her beautiful eyes.

"Do you know how painful it was to sit there, powerless?"

"LingEr…"

"Do you know how it felt to see your bloody body and only be able to stare on with horror?"

The girl lifted her head; a face full of sorrowful anger.

"Do you know that you almost died?"

"…"

"That technique you used; it almost destroyed your entire spiritual network. If it weren't for my Dad's medicines, you would have died in you sleep in complete agony."

"LingEr, I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? Sorry for what? If you're going to make a shitty excuse like for a promise, then forget it, Dad already told me."

Shirou eyes widened; LingEr continued, her face murderous but her eyes tender and concerned: "If you ever in a situation like that again, you will surrender. Understood?"

"LingEr, I can't just do that… I need…"

"No! You don't understand Shirou! You almost died!"

Shirou sighed: "If it is for a promise, I'd gladly die."

LingEr's eyes widened, her voice trembling: "You… You can't possible mean that!"

"I fully mean it."

"You, insufferable, wood-brained…"

Shirou took the verbal assault with a stoic face. Eventually LingEr calmed down enough to begin speaking again.

"Shirou, have you ever thought of what will happen if you die?"

Shirou's brow furrowed: "I… I can't say that I have."

"Shirou if you die, you are gone – forever. You will leave us alone until we die. With how long we live as cultivators, we will carry this grief until we too die.

"You've considered only your own feelings about death. Have you ever considered what we would think?!"

"LingEr…"

"Dad would be distraught; his dreams ended in an instant. Mom adores you; she would be devastated. The other disciples of Bamboo Peak all think of you as a brother; how do you think your death would affect them!

"Most of all, how do you think I would feel! I've loved you for so long now and I've only been able to share a little bit of it with you so far! You cannot think of yourself that lowly – we've all told you this before. You're important to us; important to me!"

"…" Shirou had no words

At his shocked look, LingEr's face turned into a sad smile: "If you can't live for yourself, then live for us. It must be selfish, but I don't want you to leave. I'd rather die than see your grave.

"Please, Shirou. If you can't live for yourself, then live for me."

Having said her piece, the woman in tight red clothing rose up from Shirou's bedside and walked out of the room. Her face had been full of tears, her eyes red and swollen. Her voice was hoarse from the sheer emotion placed into her words. She could only hope that they had reached and stirred something in the man she loved.

Shirou heard her fading footsteps and looked at the wooden ceiling.

There were many thoughts on his mind. Perhaps, he really did need to change his perspective.

* * *

It was afternoon now. The door was closed; the two windows were opened. He could faintly see the green bamboo in the courtyard. XiaoHui and DaHuang were not here; perhaps they were off playing with each other again.

He stared. In this empty room, he was alone with his thoughts.

The door was pushed open, SuRu came in. Shirou moved a little and said, "_Shiniang_." He didn't stand up; his face was already twisted together in pain.

Like her daughter prior, SuRu quickly walked to him and supported his body. She sat on the bed and softly said: "Don't move, Shirou."

Shirou waited for the pain to ease a little and said: "Apologies, _shiniang_. This disciple didn't know that _shiniang_ was coming…"

SuRu cut him off with strong glare: "You're basically half dead and you still have the heart to remember that! Don't talk nonsense; sit up."

Shirou chuckled but winced in pain. SuRu examined him and said: "Your outer injuries are almost recovered but your insides were seriously damaged. They won't recover if you don't rest well."

"Yes. This disciple has disgraced both master and _shiniang_ with his loss. I am so sorry…"

SuRu cut in: "You've made your master extremely proud. For three hundred years, besides your master, no other disciple was as remarkable as you in the Seven Peaks Tournament."

"That's because I had a good teacher."

SuRu smiled and gently place her hand on his shoulder: "Also, you didn't lose the bout. You actually won."

Shirou's eyes widened. "Eh? Then why are we back at Bamboo Peak? Is there not a final to fight?"

SuRu rolled her eyes: "You've been unconscious for five days and five nights. Even though you won your fight against XueQi, you were unable to attend the final. Dragon Head Peak's QiHao won by default."

"What about XueQi _shijie_?"

SuRu smiled: "You still care for your opponent, even though she hurt you like this?"

Shirou nodded.

SuRu sighed: "Master ShuiYue told me that she suffered the same extent of injuries as you. She thinks that XueQi will wake up any day now."

"I see. That's good to hear."

SuRu heard his tone and seemed reminded of something. She sighed again and changed the topic: "Your injuries this time are not light. Your master used a lot of effort to save you. According to him, even though XueQi's cultivation was not strong enough to properly use Aeolian Steel to cast Thunderblade, if it weren't for your two swords blocking the brunt of the attack, even the gods wouldn't have been able to save you."

Shirou felt around him and couldn't find the chain that held his Esper.

SuRu saw him and lightly said: "Celestial Tear is on the table in your room."

Shirou nodded: "Yes. _Shiniang_, where is master by the way?"

"Your body was very weak after your match; it had only stabilized last night. Today, the head of the main-house, Widow's Peak, sent a letter here and asked for your master to go there. He should be at Widow's Peak now."

SuRu looked at him strangely and then smiled: "I was surprised by your battle. Even though I helped you train, I do not believe I ever showed you such magnificent swords."

Shirou shook his head: "I'm still confused about them myself, _shiniang_."

There was silence between the two of them. Even though SuRu looked as if she had a million questions, she didn't push the topic. Shirou's body and mind must have been quite tired.

Finally, SuRu said: "You just woke up; don't tire yourself. Rest. I instructed the other disciples not to bother you. BiShu will bring your meals here."

Shirou said: "Thank you, _shiniang_."

SuRu nodded: "Rest then. I will tell BiShu to bring a meal to you."

Then, she turned and walked towards the courtyard outside. When she was about to leave the room, Shirou called.

"_Shiniang_."

SuRu turned: "What?"

Shirou looked at her and hesitated for a moment. He said: "_Shiniang_, I want to ask, do you know where JingYu ended up placing? At Widow's Peak I didn't have enough time to ask him."

SuRu looked at him curiously again: "He entered the top eight, but he lost to his _shixiong_, QiHao."

Shirou nodded: "Thank you _shiniang_."

SuRu shook her head and said: "Rest."

The woman then turned and left.

Shirou slowly laid himself down and continued staring at the ceiling. Even more thoughts swarmed in his addled mind.

* * *

At QingYun's Widow's Peak; inside Crystal Hall.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen sat at the center; the other six house heads were also there. Other than that, there was no one else in the hall.

Everyone was silent. XuanZhen lowered his eyes and closed them in deep thought.

"Tian _shidi_," XuanZhen broke the silence, "What do you think?"

Tian BuYi pondered for a moment and replied: "When Shirou was adopted, he did not have those two masterful blades. It's most likely because of coincidence and chance that he got those treasures."

Master CangSong said coldly: "Those swords were a match again Aeolian Steel; a divine weapon. But across the world, there is nothing that mentions those two swords."

Tian BuYi's face darkened: "How large the world is. There are countless treasures unknown to us. You and I are just the frog in the well."

CangSong was angry. He didn't get to speak; Bamboo Heights' Master ShuiYue beat him and said coldly: "Of course, we are frogs in the well. However, these two swords are like the fundamentals of Dao. It is clear that these swords are a lost treasure. Not sure why Tian _shixiong_ didn't see this."

Tian BuYi snorted and said: "So a black and white pair of swords is an ancient treasure? Just because they are like Yin-Yang means that they are sacred? If I go back and paint half of my face black, are you going to make me a saint or slay me like I'm an evil heretic?"

XuanZhen frowned and said: "Tian _shidi_, don't say such a thing. Why are you calling yourself an evil heretic!"

Tian BuYi snorted and turned his head away. He had nothing more to say.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen sighed: "Today, I asked all of you to come discuss Bamboo Peak's disciple Shirou's strange performance during the Seven Peaks Tournament. His two swords have an unknown history and extremely strong power. Also, we need to discuss about the top four disciples we are sending to investigate KongSang mountain's Cave of Fangs. Three of them have earned your approval, however, Shirou is still a subject of debate."

CangSong snorted coldly: "I do not think that we should send him. With such strange and exotic weapons, he could not have found them naturally. He was given these by an external party; I believe that he was placed in our QingYun by the Mo faction."

Tian BuYi was mad: "If really did have such an evil heart, then why did he use the two blades in front of the eyes of thousands of people at the Seven Peaks Tournament? And besides, if he really is a Mo spy – he, he – CangSong _shixiong_, I fear that your precious JingYu isn't clean either!"

CangSong was stabbed by the words. He stood up and angrily said: "What did you just say? How can my JingYu compare to your traitorous, lucky disciple?"

Tian BuYi's face darkened even more. He snorted and glared at CangSong. He said: "Yes, my disciple was lucky, but I've heard that he entered the semi-final. I fear my memory fading with my age. I cannot remember what place CangSong _shixiong's_ 'prodigy' JingYu got."

CangSong replied angrily: "He was just unfortunate to face his _shixiong_, QiHao. If it weren't for that, he would have definitely entered the semi-final!"

Then, he paused and laughed coldly. CangSong continued, "But he is not lucky like someone else who relied on people to give up in order to advance. Both master and disciple still feel no shame talking about that!"

Tian BuYi shouted: "So the battle between him and XueQi was also luck?"

CangSong said: "Correct. Because he didn't have enough luck, he was unable to fight in the final. That's why he couldn't win. He ran out of luck in the semi-final and almost died!"

Tian BuYi was getting angrier, but his tongue wasn't as deft or sharp as CangSong's. His rage caused his face to turn red: "What do you want? You want to see if I am as good as my reputations says too?"

CangSong had no sign of stepping back. He stood up and said proudly: "Then I need to test Tian _shixiong's_ Flame Spirit sword!"

Tian BuYi didn't both responding anymore. He stepped forth with his right hand held in an incantation. The air in the hall seemed frozen in time.

"Impudent!" A loud hit. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen's hand smacked on the teapoy. His face was angry. He stood up and shouted: "You two are really pretending that this headmaster is dead, is he?"

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen had occupied the position of main-house head for three-hundred years now. He was highly honored and respected. Usually, he was kind, but now he was enraged. It surprised both Tian BuYi and CangSong.

They both stepped back and quietly said: "Yes. Headmaster, please calm down."

XuanZhen looked at the two. The anger in his face took a while to fade. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Tian _shidi_."

Tian BuYi stepped forward and said: "Headmaster."

XuanZhen looked at him and said, "The history of those two swords are unclear. If they're Mo items, then Shirou has something to do with the Mo and we cannot keep him in QingYun. Do you understand?"

Tian BuYi lowered his head and was quiet for a moment. He responded: "Yes."

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen said again: "Tian _shidi_, I know that you don't like it, but this is very important. We cannot take this lightly. You go back first and wait for Shirou to recover. You will then question him thoroughly and find out if he has any relation with the Mo faction. Afterwards, you bring him back here. We are going to discuss about that afterwards. Understood?"

Tian BuYi's face paled and then flushed in anger. He stamped his feet and nodded. He didn't say anything else and left.

A sharp whistle came from outside of the door; he probably used his sword to fly back.

In the hall, the head of Wind Peak, Ceng ShuChang, said to XuanZhen: "Headmaster, Tian _shixiong's_ Bamboo Peak has had a hard time finding such a talented person. But with this argument happening, it is natural that he is not happy about it. Please, don't mind him."

XuanZhen sighed and shook his head: "Of course I don't mind. I know Tian _shidi_. I can trust him."

The, he seemed to remember something and turned towards Bamboo Heights' Master ShuiYue: "ShuiYue _shimei_, your female disciple XueQi. These days…"

ShuiYue lightly said: "Thank you for headmaster's worry. XueQi's body is almost fully recovered. If it weren't for Tian BuYi _shixiong_ picking up a powerful person with a strange Esper, she wouldn't have lost."

CangSong's face changed. XuanZhen waved his hand and said: "Aye! This thing is in the past, no need to argue about it."

CangSong and ShuiYue glared at each other and then turned their heads away. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen sighed and turned his eyes onto the teapoy. The surface was slightly cracked from his earlier strike.

* * *

DaHuang laid on the floor with his eyes half closed; his tail swinging back and forth frequently. XiaoHui laid on the bed; the monkey's bright eyes looked at Shirou's stoic face. Shirou tiredly smiled at him and scratched the Monkey Phantasm's head.

"What are you looking at?"

Of course, XiaoHui didn't understand what Shirou meant so it just went, "creak, creak" twice. Its master was injured, but if one looked at this monkey's face, it had no signs of worry; it seemed happy to see Shirou suffer.

SuRu had been true to her word. With the exception of LingEr, the other disciples had come to visit Shirou only once. LingEr of course was by his bedside when he first woke up and BiShu delivered his meals. Other than these these interactions, he hadn't been disturbed from his rest. LingEr hadn't visited after the initial encounter for a while. Eventually, her anger dissolved and she regularly visited him.

Of course, that didn't apply for DaHuang and XiaoHui. They seemed to be happy that the person who cooked such delicious meals was still alive.

Shirou heard footsteps coming from outside the door. He was roused from deeper thoughts and stared at the entrance. He expected sixth BiShu to appear, delivering one of his meals.

His eyes widened all the sudden when he saw Tian BuYi's stout body come in from the door. Shirou was surprised. Only BiShu came to his room and sent him his three daily meals. He didn't expect Tian BuYi to appear.

He startled and then realized who was at the door. He was about to get off the bed; about to salute. Tian BuYi's heart was depressed and volatile. The short master waved his hand and said: "No need."

Shirou answered and then stood up at the side. He watched Tian BuYi sit down next to the table.

Tian BuYi looked at his disciple's reaction. Even though he was injured and weak, he still possessed strong loyalty and respect. There was no way that he could be a Mo spy. Tian BuYi chucked wryly at the situation. He said: "Well, you did keep your promise."

Shirou was confused and asked, "Master?"

Tian BuYi shook his head and sighed: "Seventh, come here and sit."

Shirou nodded and slowly made his way over to the table and the empty chair beside it. He sat down as quickly as he could without paining his body.

Tian BuYi smiled bitterly and shook his head. He said: "How is your body?"

Shirou respectfully said: "In response to master: since we've come back from Widow's Peak, due to master, _shiniang_ and all of the _shixiong's_ care, it is almost fully recovered."

Tian BuYi looked at him and said: "The Seven Peaks Tournament has already passed for more than a month. It seems like you're almost recovered. I have a few questions that I need you to answer right now."

Shirou nodded: "Yes, master, please ask them."

Tian BuYi said slowly: "Those two swords, where did you get them?"

Shirou's eyes widened, but he was unable to respond. How would he be able to tell his master that he didn't know? Thousands of thoughts swirled in his mind, but he couldn't make a sound.

Tian BuYi's face darkened and said: "Say it!"

"Master… I do not know."

Seeing his confused and despondent expression, Tian BuYi only got angrier: "What do you mean you don't know! Do you think I am a fool!"

"Master, it is the truth! Before the tournament, you know how _shiniang_ gave me the Esper, Celestial Tear?"

Tian BuYi frowned; his anger not quelled: "Yes. Continue."

"_Shiniang_ told me that the Esper would allow me to bring whatever I imagined into the physical plane. That is how I made so many normal gray blades. However, when I was against XueQi _shijie's_ overwhelming power, I couldn't help but think that they weren't sufficient.

"I felt my blood boil and my body scream. For some reason, the entirety of the details of the two swords was planted into my mind. I used Celestial Tear and my spiritual energy to form them afterwards. I hadn't given it much thought at the time."

Tian BuYi frowned. It seemed like a half-assed excuse. However, Shirou's face was still saddened and disheartened. With a sigh, Tian BuYi touched two fingers to his seventh disciple's forehead.

He sighed yet again. This time, he smiled: "It does not seem like you are lying. There are no gaps in your mind where you could have met the Mo. It seems like our suspicions were unfounded."

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise: "Master! I would never do such a thing. I've lived at Bamboo Peak since that day."

Tian BuYi waved him off: "I am not saying that you are a traitor. There was a snake that implied that you were; I had to prove your innocence. I would like to think that I made a good judge of character, entrusting LingEr to you."

Shirou smiled in surprise. In the month, he had come to terms with his feelings for his _shijie_. The undeniable attraction, the quickened pulse and his happier mood whenever she was nearby was all too much to ignore. He felt that he truly loved her in the same way that LingEr loved him. Thus, even if he didn't value his life, he valued LingEr's. If he died then that would be catastrophic for the girl; he would live for her sake.

Tian BuYi saw his expression and chuckled: "Even if you have both your master and _shiniang's_ approval, LingEr still has the final word. If I find out that you ever harmed her in any way. I will thoroughly burn you with Flame Spirit such that not even your ashes will remain."

Shirou paled and quickly nodded his head.

Tian BuYi looked at him and then nodded his head. "Stand up. Follow me to Widow's Peak. Even if I believe you are innocent, you must still convince the other fools. If you are successful, you'll even come out alive.

* * *

In the sea of white clouds, it was a peaceful landscape; quiet, like the heavens that people dreamed of.

Widow's Peak: Crystal Hall.

QingYun's seven heads were all gathered here once more. Their eyes were on the kneeled young man.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen watched Shirou kneeling there. His mind remembered the figures of two children from seven years ago. Time passed in the blink of an eye; they were already grown up.

His heart sighed and his eyes left Shirou. He turned to the other masters: "Everyone, what Shirou just said, what is your decision?"

They were quiet for a while, then, Master CangSong's voice suddenly rose and said with certainty: "This boy's words cannot be trusted."

Shirou's body was motionless; he didn't lift his head.

XuanZhen frowned: "Why is CangSong _shidi_ so certain?"

CangSong peered at Shirou and said: "He did not display any usage of QingYun arts and techniques; preferring to use his two swords like a savage. If he is this comfortable with those swords, then he must have been taught by a Mo. Thus, this person must be a Mo spy, we cannot let him live.

CangSong was in charge of QingYun's punishment and had a very high position and reputation. His voice was so certain. Even though Shirou was convinced of his innocence, his face turned pale and he couldn't breathe.

No one said anything. Tian BuYi's face darkened. He slowly said: "If you are calling his techniques Mo, then you are insulting my wife and I both. If he is was really deliberately placed into QingYun from the Mo, then why did he use the swords during the Seven Peaks Tournament under the eyes of thousands of people?"

CangSong snorted: "Mo heretics are already so difficult to understand. Doing such stupid and outlandish things is not unusual."

Tian BuYi said angrily: "Isn't that too far-fetched? Irrational even?"

CangSong said coldly: "Me, irrational? Excuse me Tian _shidi_, but have you ever seen those two weapons belong to QingYun? I think we would have remembered a set of divine weapons."

Tian BuYi couldn't say anything. His face flushed. Anyone could see that Tian BuYi was standing on his disciple's side. At that embarrassing moment, an icy cold voice came. It was the head of Bamboo Heights, Master ShuiYue.

"Then, excuse me CangSong _shixiong_, you said that these weapons belong to the Mo. Why do you say that these weapons cannot be on our side? Are they vicious and evil? Do you really want to kill this boy?"

CangSong looked at ShuiYue aggressively and said: "Oh, ShuiYue _shimei_, what do you mean?"

ShuiYue said coldly: "_Shixiongs_, firstly, I don't know much about Mo techniques or weapons. Even if we raise him to be like the rest of QingYun, he is still able to develop his own style and skills. This can really happen by chance. Tian _shixiong_ already said that his background was clear. Saying that he is a Mo follower; that is just too illogical."

CangSong squinted his eyes. His gaze was sharp: "Why is ShuiYue _shimei_ behaving so abnormally today in order to help this boy. It's really hard to understand."

Anger flashed on the woman's face: "I am just stating facts. I am not like someone else. I do not see that another house has a talented and gifted disciple and fear that he will be a danger to my own position. I don't find some small matter to get rid of him, animal!"

No one here was as sharp or prickly as Master ShuiYue. CangSong was enraged and swiftly rose up.

Before they could begin, Headmaster Dao XuanZhen immediately interrupted: "Okay, okay, why are you two arguing again. Sit down, sit down."

CangSong didn't dare to disobey the headmaster's orders and sat down. ShuiYue's face was stoic as if nothing had happened. She sat quietly in her chair.

XuanZhen shook his head and turned towards the other masters: "Everyone, what do you think?"

The other heads were quiet for a moment, then the head of Wind Peak, Ceng ShuChang, said: "Headmaster, I think ShuiYue _shimei_ is right. The boy's background is clean and he has never left the mountains before. Maybe it is really just a coincidence that he found these treasures. It is our QingYun's fortune."

XuanZhen nodded and turned to the head of Sunset Peak, Master TianYun. TianYun looked at CangSong and said: "I agree with CangSong _shixiong's_ decision."

CangSong got an ally. He nodded to Master TianYun.

Now, only the head of Sunrise Peak, Shang ZhengLiang, was left. He looked at Tian BuYi then at CangSong and TianYun. Lastly, he looked at XuanZhen. He pondered for a second and said: "I think ShuiYue _shimei_ is right."

Tian BuYi was relieved while CangSong snorted. Headmaster Dao XuanZhen nodded and said: "Everyone has said their piece; then, I should say my own." Then, he said to Shirou, who was still kneeling, "Shirou, stand up first."

Shirou was shocked, he lifted his head and looked at all the masters. He slowly rose up.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen looked at him intently, like he wanted to get a clearer image of the golden-eyed boy. He said to the other heads: "Everyone, I actually think that Shirou doesn't seem like a Mo follower. Even though his weapons are as unique as his fighting style, he did not severely injure any of his opponents; though, XueQi is an exception, their fight had been on another level."

CangSong couldn't help himself and said: "Headmaster, Mo heretics are dangerous and vicious. It is better to kill the wrong person than potentially let him loose!"

XuanZhen's face changed into one of anger. He looked at CangSong and shouted: "CangSong _shidi_, do you even know what you are saying?!"

CangSong understood he said the wrong thing. He lowered his head in deference to XuanZhen. He was silent.

XuanZhen's face was serious and his voice lowered. He said slowly: "CangSong _shidi_, you have been in charge of QingYun's justice and punishments for two-hundred years already. I respected your fairness. But these years, you're getting more aggressive; filled with anger. I really worry for you. Do you understand?"

CangSong quietly said: "Yes, _shixiong_."

XuanZhen said: "To kill the wrong person than let them loose is what the Mo heretics would do. We QingYun follow the path of righteousness; we would rather let him loose than kill an innocent. Otherwise, what is the difference between us and the Mo heretics? Your cultivation is strong and deep, but you still need to study the essence and meaning behind it."

CangSong held up his hand in a respectful gesture and said: "Thank you for _shixiong's_ guidance. This CangSong understands."

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen was relieved and said: "It's good that you now know." He turned towards the other heads for their input. They responded, "Headmaster can decide."

XuanZhen nodded and said to Shirou, "You hear this?"

Shirou was thankful and quickly answered: "Yes thank you. Thank you ZhengLiang _shishu_, ShuiYue _shishu_." He turned towards Tian BuYi: "Thank you, master."

Tian BuYi waved his hand and didn't respond.

XuanZhen nodded his hand and smiled genially: "Good. It would be a shame if QingYun lost such a bright and promising disciple. I have high hopes for you in the future."

The headmaster clapped his hands three times and a disciple from Widow's Peak appeared from the rear hall. XuanZhen instructed him on a few things and the disciple nodded his head and went outside.

A while later, he arrived with three other people and led them into the hall. Shirou looked at them. There were all people that he knew. QiHao and ShuShu walked in the front. When his father, Ceng ShuChang wasn't looking, ShuShu made a face towards Shirou. Walking behind the other two was the cold beauty XueQi of Bamboo Heights.

The four young disciples in Crystal Hall were the top four from QingYun's Seven Peaks Tournament.

QiHao and ShuShu saw Shirou; they smiled and greeted him. Only XueQi's face was unconcerned, but her eyes peered at Shirou with a strange mixture of fondness and some other mysterious emotion. It disappeared quickly.

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen looked at the four disciples and smiled: "Today, I've asked for the four of you to come here in order to let you leave the mountain to obtain some experience.

QiHao and the others were excited.

XuanZhen then told them about KongSang mountain's Cave of Fangs. He told them: "This mission is very important. You four are my clan's elites; that is the reason why I am sending you there to investigate. However, Mo heretics are evil and vicious; you must be cautious."

They all answered: "Yes."

The headmaster nodded: "Also, besides QingYun, both FenXiang and TianYin Temple are also sending their best disciples to help the investigation. You must not be rude and bring shame to QingYun. Additionally, main-house disciple Xiao YiCai _shixiong_ has already gone there to investigate this thing. If you can find him, discuss the matter with him before doing anything."

The four people looked at each other and then answered in affirmation.

XuanZhen carefully looked at the four disciples, then his eyes landed on QiHao. He waved his hand and said: "QiHao, come."

QiHao startled and stepped forth. XuanZhen looked at him closely and then turned to CangSong and smiled: "_Shidi_, your Dragon Head Peak has a worthy successor!"

CangSong had been in a bad mood, however, he couldn't help but smile: "_Shixiong_ is kidding."

XuanZhen smiled and took out an item from his clothes, then handed it to QiHao. He said, "Even though you had not fought in the finals, you were still the only one who arrived at the platform. You have earned this; take it."

QiHao took the item and saw that it was a small mirror. It looked old; its edge was bronze. A dragon was carved at the top while a tiger sat on the bottom. The Bagua was carved around the mirror. The glass didn't seem like a normal bronze mirror. It was hazy and unclear.

QiHao still hadn't reacted. CangSong was very pleased and shouted: "Silly child, why are you still shocked? Hurry, kneel down and thank the headmaster."

QiHao then immediately realized that the item was most likely the Esper Union Mirror. He quickly knelt down and said: "Thank you, headmaster."

Headmaster Dao XuanZhen smiled: "No need, no need. Please, stand up." He gestured towards the other three disciples in the hall: "Go outside first."

The three people knew that he was going to teach QiHao the incantation for Union Mirror. They went outside.

Outside of the hall, Shirou went to Tian BuYi. Tian BuYi looked at him and lightly said: "You bear the heavy burden of great responsibility now; can't return to Bamboo Peak. After a moment, you will leave the mountain with them. I will tell the people of Bamboo Peak about it for you."

Shirou lowered his head in gratitude and said quietly: "Yes, master."

Tian BuYi said: "While you were recovering from your wounds for the past month, I heard that you have reconciled the distance with LingEr. Is this true?"

Shirou nodded his head: "Yes, we have resolved our quarrel."

Tian BuYi turned away and said slowly, "That's good. Remember this: you are a proud member of Bamboo Peak. My daughter seems to favor you; perhaps I will even pass this to you and make you my successor. Do not embarrass us out there."

Shirou widened his eyes and smiled: "Yes, master. This disciple will definitely make you proud."

Tian BuYi snorted but had a slight smile from his face. With his back already turned, Shirou was unable to see his expression; but, from the tone, he didn't seem to have any anger. After a while, Tian BuYi sighed. He turned back and looked at Shirou one last time. He had nothing to say. The stout master waved his hand, summoned his sword and left.

Shirou stoically watched his father figure turn into a red light and disappear into the sky. Suddenly, someone hit his shoulder. Surprised, he turned around and found out that it was ShuShu with a grin on his face. He looked around and saw that all the house heads were already gone. Only the two of them and XueQi, who was standing far away, were left.

ShuShu laughed: "You're so lucky. I was afraid that you weren't going to pass that trial."

Shirou visibly relaxed when talking to ShuShu. He smiled: "Yeah, I was scared half to death."

ShuShu patted his shoulder and looked behind his friend. He quietly said: "Why didn't you bring XiaoHui here?"

Shirou deadpanned: "Master brought me here today. I didn't expect that we were also going to leave the mountains the same day. I brought nothing with me; how was I supposed to remember XiaoHui?"

ShuShu smiled: "It doesn't matter. I can lend some clothes to you, or we can just buy some in Sunstream City." Then, he winked and whispered, "Ho, ho, we get something nice this time anyways."

Shirou was puzzled and raised an eyebrow. He said, "What?"

ShuShu wiggled his eyebrows, peered behind Shirou's back and chuckled: "A beauty is coming with us!"

Shirou didn't know if he should've laughed, sighed or been mad. But he had still turned his attention towards XueQi. At the same time, XueQi seemed to feel their stares and turned to look at them. Shirou could feel her coldness even from far away. Their eyes met and he quickly turned away.

They chatted for a while. When ShuShu was talking about what he was going to say to XueQi along their way, Shirou's smile suddenly froze. His eyes stared behind ShuShu.

ShuShu was puzzled. He turned around and saw a man walk down from the steps. He seemed around forty years old. His clothes were clean enough, but his face was sluggish. His mouth spouted random nonsense.

"It's raining. The sky turned dark. Stupid mom. Immortal, immortal – heh, heh – immortal."

Under the stares of both ShuShu and XueQi, Shirou walked slowly – very slowly. The beauty's face fell briefly into one of pity, but it quickly faded. It seemed like forever before Shirou reached that strange man.

It was like revisiting the past!

"Uncle Wang, how are you?" Shirou said softly.

But the man's eyes didn't seem to notice Shirou's existence. He kept murmuring and walked straight past Shirou. He walked away and disappeared behind the hall.

"Who is he?" ShuShu stood next to Shirou and asked.

Shirou stared at the spot where Uncle Wang disappeared. He said sorrowfully: "A mad man…"

ShuShu looked at him. From his friend's face, he understood and didn't pry anymore. After a while, QiHao walked out from the hall happily and greeted the three people.

Shirou absent-mindedly returned QiHao's greeting and followed ShuShu; gathering with the others. After some discussion, they decided to go to Sunstream City first.

ShuShu smiled at QiHao: "Qi _shixiong_, the Union Mirror that headmaster gave you, is it truly that powerful?"

QiHao smiled: "Union Mirror is our QingYun's treasure, of course it's powerful. I only fear that my cultivation is not enough to handle it! Ha, ha, okay, this place is the mountain's peak, disciples cannot fly here; only the seven heads can. We will walk to the Cloud Sea and then fly to Sunstream City."

XueQi was expressionless. Shirou blankly nodded. Only ShuShu was smiling. Seemed like he was happy to leave the mountains.

* * *

From the QingYun clan, the four outstanding disciples of QingYun were flying towards Sunstream City. It was very relaxing.

Shirou had long since learned how to fly from SuRu. When he had first broken through YuQing's third level about two years ago, SuRu passed him the instruction. It was really easy; all you needed was a high enough cultivation and an Esper of an acceptable quality. Using the incantations and one's mind, flight was surprisingly easy to achieve.

He saw the other people summon their swords first. QiHao's was the white Frozen Melody; XueQi's was the blue Aeolian Steel; ShuShu's was a sword with purple gas. Shirou simply summoned the simple steel blade. He didn't feel like those two beautiful swords would appreciate being used as simple transportation.

QiHao and ShuShu stared at the sword curiously. XueQi, having seen the married swords, frowned.

The group spent around half the day journeying through crossing clouds and mountains. At sunset, the four reached Sunstream City. Shirou and the others didn't want to stir and create any unnecessary attention, so they found a quiet place near the city to land. Their bodies were all wet due to the clouds and their faces were pale. It seemed more tiring than the tournament the month prior.

The four rested to regain their breath and then entered the enormous Sunstream City under the sunset's glow. Shirou walked at the rear and he occasionally felt the curious eyes of both QiHao and XueQi. QiHao was interested because he wasn't able to fight his final opponent in the Seven Peaks Tournament. XueQi was still wondering why Shirou hadn't summoned the two swords he had used in their match; sticking with the pitiful gray sword.

ShuShu was happily walking besides Shirou, his mind ignoring all of the questions about his enigmatic friend. His mouth kept moving, introducing Sunstream City to Shirou:

"Within a hundred-mile radius, this is the largest and most prosperous city. There are at least two or three-hundred-thousand people living here. It's also in a good location; many merchants pass by here."

Shirou was impressed by ShuShu's knowledge and said: "ShuShu, how do you all of this?"

ShuShu said proudly: "It's nothing unusual; it's natural to know this if you read more books. Then he gave an evil smile and whispered: "Actually, I've already sneaked out here many times."

Shirou was surprised: "What, you…"

ShuShu curled his lips: "What kind of face is that? It really isn't a big deal. When I was practicing the art of Skyblade, I, of course, needed some practice flying around. Fly and fly and fly and somehow, I arrived here. Then, when I was tired, I took a walk in the markets to rest. It's not a big deal!"

Shirou couldn't say anything.

As the two of them murmured and talked to each other in the back, QiHao smiled and said to XueQi: "Lu _shimei_, the sky is getting dark. We are going to spend a night in Sunstream tonight; tomorrow we continue."

XueQi's face was still cold. Without any change in expression, she nodded.

Because the four wanted to avoid any trouble, they had already changed out from their QingYun robes. No one would suspect anything. However, XueQi's stunning beauty had drawn some attention. Shirou peered at XueQi, her face was still cool, but anger flashed in her eyes. He couldn't help but be worried for the people passing by. He shuddered and remembered the column of blue light.

If Aeolian Steel was unsheathed, half of this ancient city would be destroyed.

But, XueQi's resolve and temperance was better than Shirou's expectation. She still hadn't made a move as the four of them walked into an inn called ShanHai Yuan. QiHao had the most experience out of QingYun, so he was deferred to as the leader within the small group. He checked into the inn and they were given the finest rooms in the back.

ShanHai Yuan was quite large. In the back, there were four separate gardens. The four of them were located at the west garden. Each of them had a separate room. After resting for a while, QiHao called all of them to go to a teahouse and eat dinner.

The inn had a teahouse and was located on the busiest street. Despite this, the third floor, the special guests' hall, was quiet. Out of the ten tables, about only five of them had customers sitting down and eating. QiHao summoned the serving girl and ordered a couple of dishes. It seemed like he was quite familiar with this place; perhaps he came here a lot.

Shirou's mind was thinking. He was born into a woodcutter's family in the countryside; never been to such a luxurious place like ShanHai Yuan. When he passed the second floor, he saw the magnificent hall. But, when he got to the third floor, the wall was carved with dragons and phoenixes. The beams were made out of red wood. It looked very traditional; completely different than the second floor.

The four sat at a small table next to a window. ShuShu looked around at the floor's decorations. He turned and asked QiHao: "Qi _shixiong_, this place isn't cheap, is it?"

QiHao smiled: "This is the best teahouse in all of Sunstream, of course it's not cheap. But QingYun is quite famous here; the boss earnestly wishes for us to come here. They won't charge us too much.

ShuShu exclaimed in affirmation and nodded his head.

After a while, the serving girl came and served several dishes. The last one was a fresh braised fish. The fish was long, dark brown, and had a round head with a pair of whiskers. Most importantly, its smooth white meat filled the table with a delicious smell.

Shirou had always been interested in cooking and he hadn't seen this kind of fish before. He couldn't help but ask the serving girl: "Lady, what is the name of this fish, and how do you cook it?"

The girl laughed: "You really have a good pair of eyes. This dish, Braised Mei Fish, is our ShanHai Yuan's most famous dish. Its fresh smell, smooth and sweet taste is known within a hundred miles of Sunstream."

Shirou swallowed in anticipation, picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of the fish into his mouth. He closed his eyes and nodded: "Ah, the quality of the meat is great, but the way it was cooked is even better. A bit of sugar and some ginger to get of the fishy smell. Um, the taste of fried scallion; must be fresh small onion. Ah, there is also pepper and some other spices, err… right, sesame oil used perfectly. Wow!"

QiHao and ShuShu were stunned. Even XueQi was looking at him again with a strange expression. The serving girl was really impressed and said loudly: "Wow, you're is such an expert; exactly correct!"

Shirou noticed that the others were looking at him. He blushed and put down his chopsticks: "May I ask, where are Mei Fishes from?"

The serving girl didn't respond. A female voice from the nearby large table had already said: "Mei Fishes are a special local product of the ZhuGou Mountain to the south, thousands of miles away from here. How can they get them here; isn't your inn lying to us?"

They four were surprised. They looked at that large table; eight people were sitting there. Six were men dressed in yellow clothing. The last two were females. One wore a long, light purple dress; a soft veil covered her face. The other girl who just spoke was quite young; she seemed to be around Shirou's age - seventeen or so. Her entire dress was watery green. With a pair of large bright eyes, beautiful face and snowy white skin, her beauty was comparable to XueQi's.

Shirou nodded and said: "Ah." But after the girl had finished speaking, her eyes landed on XueQi. She too seemed to be surprised by the cold girl's beauty. Even XueQi couldn't help but look back at the girl in green.

The serving girl only smiled at the response: "This customer is right. You are right, a hundred years ago, Mei Fishes only lived at ZhuGou Mountain; but, one day QingYun's Headmaster, Dao XuanZhen, passed by and brought some Mei Fishes here to HongChuan River. The fishes flourished here. It is thanks to that good deed from QingYun's XuanZhen, the Celestial, that we have such good food today."

Shirou and the others smiled; but that girl in green only looked at the serving girl with a vile face.

* * *

After that delicious dinner, Shirou and the others returned to the west garden. QiHao said to the others at the entrance: "Tonight, everyone will rest here. Tomorrow morning, we will head to KongSang mountain."

Shirou and ShuShu nodded in affirmation. XueQi didn't bother responding; she returned straight into her room and shut the door. QiHao blinked and then smiled bitterly: "_Shidis_, you should also rest."

Shirou looked at QiHao's handsome face. Under the glow of the sunset, QiHao was still energetic as always. Shirou suddenly felt tired, he said his goodbyes to the two and returned to his room.

ShuShu laughed and talked with QiHao for a bit. Then, they both returned to their rooms.

That night was the first time Shirou left the QingYun mountains in seven years. He couldn't go to sleep. When he was finally able to rest at midnight, strange visions began to enter his mind. Words, feelings and events that he had never experienced began to filter in. A vast brown plain; he stood alone and empty. It was quite the sad sight.

"Ah!"

Shirou woke up from his dream. He sat up and gasped. His entire body was sweating; his blood felt like fire. After a long while, his heartbeat finally slowed down.

He sat in the dark for a while. The dream was completely different from his previous nightmares. Before he had only had the visions of Grasstemple to disrupt his rest; what was another strange dream atop of that? Yet, the scene was frighteningly familiar. He thought back to the farce of a trial only a few hours ago. Tian BuYi had said there were no gaps in his memory; however, Shirou couldn't help but wonder what it was he saw.

Quiet; darkness everywhere.

Shirou crossed his legs, straightened his back and took a deep breath. He held both of his palms together in front of him.

Darkness was like a gentle lady; softly surrounding him. A layer of faint golden light came out from his body. Solemnness covered Shirou's face.

After a long time, the golden light disappeared. Shirou opened his eyes in the dark. His heart was calm. Every time he felt troubled, he would use Brahman Wisdom to control his body and think of the kind monk, PuZhi.

However, he wasn't sleepy and his mind was besieged with questions. He went outside of the room. The other rooms were dark; QiHao and the others should have been asleep by now. In ShanHai Yuan's backyard, there were four gardens in the cardinal directions. Shirou left the west garden and went to the central courtyard.

The night was dark and stars filled the sky. A round moon hung from the black tapestry. The night wind was breezy and carried a faint fragrance. The narrow path of the courtyard was dark, leading to an unknown place. On either side, there were bushes and flowers all over the ground.

Shirou followed and walked down this narrow path. The soft wind hit his face and chilled him slightly.

In the silent night, a young man walked alone in the gardens, thinking of both the past and future.

On the side of the road, a small flower trembled in the night wind. Crystal dew was already on its white petals. Shirou stopped, his busy mind enchanted by that flower.

The soft fragrance came.

Suddenly, a soft hand came out from the eternal darkness. A grave beauty, marked with the light of the moon and stars; a hand reached for the flower.

And picked it.

A bang in Shirou's mind. It was like the moon lost its color. The garden fell into darkness.

A girl in a green dress was standing there. It was like she had taken all the light from the heavens. She softly put the flower in front of her nose and smelled it.

* * *

A/N: We're done with the tournament. Shirou instinctively knew how to trace Kanshou and Bakuya and his Esper only enhanced them. XueQi knows Thunderblade and is quite the spellcaster. Divine Weapons are a pain to fight and quite the commodity.

LingEr also seemed to at least break though a bit of Shirou's pigheadedness when it comes to his own safety.

Well, we finally get to move on from QingYun. I'm sure all of you can already guess what this green girl will become to Shirou.

Next Time: Cave of Fangs - 1. We meet some people and some other not so friendly people.


	8. Heretics - 1

A/N: In this chapter: bats lots of bats. We are also introduced to some of the other faction members; some fights between the noble and Mo factions happen. Very minor fluff and things. Overall, this arc will be more on the depressing side when compared to before. We don't have the other Bamboo Peak residents for comic relief anymore.

By the way, some of you were curious about Kanshou and Bakuya in the last chapter. I made sure explicitly state that Shirou traced the two swords with his own prana. Celestial Tear is habitual for him to use, however, so it simply removed the tracing degradation.

* * *

Heretics – 1

Shirou startled and recognized that she was the young girl who argued about mei fishes during dinner. She was still in watery green clothes. Under the moonlight, she looked ethereal.

The girl placed the flower under her nose and took a deep breath. It was like she was intoxicated by the fragrance; added a bit of soul touching beauty to her. The flower seemed brighter in her hands.

However, Shirou's mind was distracted and addled by his previous thoughts. He couldn't help but speak more freely than usual: "That flower was fine there. Why did you pick it; do you not fear the landlord?"

The girl in the green dress took a look at Shirou and lightly said: "By picking this flower, I gave it good fortune. Letting me smell its fragrance is the result of its good deeds over three reincarnations. How can an uncultured person understand?"

Shirou blinked. That had to be the most ridiculous thing that he ever heard. He shook his head: "You picked that flower; it lost its life. How could that possibly be good fortune."

The girl peered at him: "You are not the flower. How do you know that it's not happy being picked?"

Shirou frowned at the girl's unreasonable words. The conversation was silly, but a welcome distraction from his thoughts: "You are not the flower either; how do you know it's happy? Perhaps it is suffering right now. Ah, look. There is water on its petals, perhaps it is crying because of the pain it is suffering."

The girl seemed visibly stunned and then started to giggle. She was charming as the blooming flower the two were arguing about. It also caused Shirou to smile; his mind felt lighter.

"A flower's tear? Ha, ha… flower's tear. It is my first time hearing a man call dew a flower's tear. So funny…"

Shirou couldn't help but feel some warmth creep into his cheeks. Even though it was rather silly and embarrassing, it was still better than brooding.

The girl continued to laugh; her voice filled the dark, quiet courtyard and added a bit of warmth.

Shirou smiled when he saw the girl's own smile. He turned on his heel and walked away.

Suddenly, the girl in the green dress held her laughter. Her tone was still very mirthful. She said, "Hey, wait."

Shirou had been in a solemn mood when he walked into the courtyard, but, when he met this girl, he felt a bit happier. He turned around and looked at the girl

It was like his naivety from years ago had returned and come back alive.

The moonlight was like water, shining on her face and shoulders; reflected the staggering beauty.

He didn't know when it had happened, but Shirou was enchanted.

After a while, the girl noticed that Shirou was staring at her. She didn't blush like most other ladies and instead directly asked: "Do I look pretty?"

Shirou was surprised; like a thief that had gotten caught. Under her soft eyes, it seemed that he couldn't escape her question. Yet, as he stared into her eyes, he thought of LingEr and her vibrant personality. He thought of all the times her face lit up into a smile; truly beautiful.

Strangely enough, he had also compared the girl in front of him to XueQi. The frosty lady was definitely beautiful, but he remembered her visage during the final clash of the Seven Peaks Tournament. Her gaze was sad and it seemed like she was bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders.

A solemn beauty.

Shirou eventually replied after pondering these thoughts: "You are beautiful; however, there are still two others who I believe to be above you."

The girl's eyes widened in shock and the smile on her face disappeared. Her eyes became cold. It appeared that not many people have ever spoken to her like this. Yet, she could see the distant expression in his eyes; he really believed his words. At that, the girl had relaxed and put a small smile.

"I have to say, that's the first time I've ever heard that from a man. Since I was young, no one has ever said that I wasn't beautiful; every man is like that. However, it's also my first time ever hearing that someone else is even prettier."

Shirou rolled his eyes and stared at the girl. It seemed like she was waiting for him to say the names of the other two women on his mind. He responded: "I won't tell you who they are." He turned and started to walk back to his room.

Once again, the girl was startled: "Eh? Hey!"

Shirou frowned and turn back to look at her.

She squinted her eyes and her lips tightened; seemed like she was thinking about something. There was only silence.

"What is your name?" She asked; Shirou's figure reflected in her eyes.

Shirou met those eyes with his own and his mild annoyance disappeared. Facing such a figure, he couldn't have even the slightest bit of anger. He made contact with those gentle eyes. He said, "My name is Shirou."

Then he quickly turned around and walked back.

He walked back towards his room quickly. At the corner of the narrow trail, a black figure suddenly appeared. It was difficult to see them in this dark garden.

He almost couldn't stop. Luckily, his body was still keen and he stopped right in front of that figure. In the darkness, a pair of bright but quiet eyes appeared in front of him.

The distance between them was too close. Shirou was surprised but he quickly stepped backward. He could see clearly now. The person in front of him was the masked woman sitting next to the girl in the green dress at dinner. She still had her veil on, but she had changed into a black silk dress. In the night, she was just like a spirit.

Shirou could smell a faint fragrance. Was it the flowers and the garden's odor, or could it be because of that woman?

Shirou just murmured: "Sorry." Then, he went past the veiled woman; heading towards his room.

From the beginning, the woman in black didn't speak. She was just quietly standing there, watching that young man. After Shirou passed by her, she turned slowly and looked at his retreating back.

After a while, his body was no longer visible. The woman's black attire seemed to fuse with the darkness of the garden. She turned and walked along the path, deeper into the courtyard. Soon, she saw the girl in the green dress standing in the same spot, playing with the flower.

The girl lifted her head; she did not seem surprised. She smiled at the woman in black: "Aunt You, you are back."

The masked woman looked at the flower in the girl's hands. Her veil shifted a little; it seemed like she nodded. She said: "The four people are from QingYun." Her voice echoed through the courtyard. It was soft and gentle, but also a little ghostly, "The leader appears to be Dragon Head Peak's QiHao. I haven't seen the other three people before. They appear to be part of the younger generation of disciples; don't know what their names are."

The girl smiled: "I know one; the one who just left. His name is Shirou. A stupid name."

The veiled woman looked at her strangely and eventually said: "BiYao, it's been a long time since I've seen you look at flowers.

The girl in the green dress, also called BiYao, startled. A soft smile then appeared on her face at the next moment: "Yeah, Aunt You, it has been a long time."

She held up the flower and took a careful look at it; the girl in the green dress had a smile on her face. Then, under the watch of the veiled woman, her hand clenched tight and squeezed the flower into pieces.

* * *

The next day, the four QingYun disciples woke up.

After they had freshened themselves, QiHao gathered them and said: "KongSang mountain is located a great distance to the east; we better get going."

The other three individuals had no comment, so they checked out of their rooms.

The innkeeper of ShanHai Yuan really admired and respected the QingYun. He gave them a fifty percent discount; the price for the exquisite rooms dropped to be almost equivalent to the price of the normal rooms. Shirou peered around while QiHao was chatting with the innkeeper. But when he was leaving, he still couldn't find the girl in the green dress from last night.

The four then flew for eight days in order to cover the distance between Sunstream and KongSang mountain. It was located far away to the east. The four had taken rests every night. If there was an inn nearby, they stayed there. Otherwise, they camped on the ground. They rotated watches; hunted and gathered for their meals. They didn't want to waste food supplies.

Now, they have arrived at KongSang mountain. As they approached, the four were surprised by what they saw. Within a hundred miles around the mountain, there were only rocks and only a few small plants. There were no signs of people or any animal life. Very desolate.

It was almost sunset; the sun sinking in the west. The baleful yellow glow of the sunset shined upon KongSang mountain making it all the more desolate and a bit dreadful. The four landed at the base of the mountain and put away their Espers.

QiHao looked at the darkening sky and said, "I don't think we can find a house here that will allow us to spend the night. How about we begin to climb the mountain and search for the Cave of Fangs. We'll look for a spot decent enough to rest for the night along the way."

ShuShu nodded: "Qi _shixiong_ is right. Let us go up the mountain."

Shirou shared the same sentiments as ShuShu and nodded in approval. XueQi looked at the sky. Then, without saying anything, she was the first to head up the mountain.

Although KongSang mountain was not as high as QingYun's Widow's Peak, it wasn't short. Additionally, the path was dangerous and risky; difficult to find a way up. When the four people reached the mountain's waist, the sky was already dark.

They had arrived at a relatively flat area. QiHao stopped the others. He took out a small mirror. The three immediately recognized that it was the precious QingYun Esper Union Mirror. They wondered what QiHao was going to do with it.

QiHao held the Union Mirror in his hand and murmured several lines of incantation. Then, the previously dark Union Mirror reacted to his spell, brightened and floated into the air. It stopped at around two feet above his head. A faint yellow aura appeared as a dome, circling about six feet around and protected the four people inside.

QiHao explained: "KongSang mountain was a gathering place for Mo heretics eight hundred years ago. This mountain is so barren and strange. While we haven't seen any so far, there could be many monsters lurking and hiding in here. Union Mirror can protect its owner; we can be more prepared."

Shirou looked at the Union Mirror floating in mid-air. That small mirror's appearance was nothing special, but the magical energy coming out from it couldn't be underestimated. He frowned, however.

He said: "Qi _shixiong_. Wouldn't this light only attract other creatures?"

QiHao hesitated for a moment and considered his _shidi's _words. He replied: "That is a risk that I'm willing to take. With the four of us, we can fend off any attackers. It's better than being surprised."

At that moment, the four of them heard a loud sound; the sound of flapping wings. The noise was getting more and more intense and frequent that they couldn't hear any breaks between the flaps. It was the only sound across the entire desolate mountain.

With the help of Union Mirror's light, they could see a large black cloud come out from the back of the mountain. A wild black fog in the darkness. The loud noise was coming from that black cloud.

Their faces changed and ShuShu rolled his eyes. Then, he suddenly cried out: "Union Mirror!"

QiHao hadn't reacted yet, however, the large black cloud seemed to notice something was amiss with the mountainside and turned towards them. After a moment, an ear-piercing screech came out from the black cloud. At that instant, the black cloud began to charge at the only light in the darkness.

The sky became dark despite the multitude of stars; a dark veil had been cast over the beautiful night. A foul odor saturated the air around them instantly. ShuShu and XueQi paled at the descending cloud and were frightened. Only QiHao and Shirou remained calm.

However, QiHao's face soon paled. He quickly said: "Don't move. Do not leave the Union Mirror's aura."

Shirou couldn't accept standing idle: "Qi _shixiong_, is the Union Mirror's shield only one-directional?"

QiHao widened his eyes in understanding and responded: "Yes, the barrier fully separates the inside from the outside physically; it allows magic from the inside to flow out. However, your Esper would have to already be outside to do anything."

Shirou smiled at the answer. He raised his right arm and created a multitude of simple gray swords outside of the dome. Unknown to the boy, he hadn't used Celestial Tear to create all of them. He had used his own magic to fuel the construction of some of the blades. He kept the army of swords on standby, waiting for the cloud to get closer.

After only a minute, the screeching noises were next to their ears. Under the light of Union Mirror, they could clearly see that the black cloud was made up of a countless number of black bats. Their bodies were more than twice as large as normal bats. Each opened their jaws. Within the blackness, one saw their blood-red mouths; very scary.

The light-yellow aura of Union Mirror was evidently very effective. All of the bats were blocked outside of the dome. No matter how hard they crashed their bodies against it, the aura didn't shake. Outside of the dome, the bats' bodies buzzed with yellow energy when they touched the barrier. They fell to the ground, struggled and died.

Yet, that was not it. A hail of blades preemptively killed off a few in the massive black cloud. Shirou constructed blade after blade using both Celestial Tear and his own projection skills. However, he began to create them more rapidly and made more with his own prana than his Esper proxy. The semi-sentient Esper noticed this and started to augment the blades instead of creating additional weaker copies.

Thus, wave after wave of dull gray steel pierced the bats. Each sword skewered a few at a time before dissolving into motes of golden light. The corpses then fell to the ground along with the ones who had managed to reach the dome.

But there were just too many bats. It seemed that the entire cavernous mountain was home to a host of the animals. The four people were surrounded by the black creatures. Although they were fine, everywhere they looked they could see the bloody mouths. The stench was disgusting.

In the middle of the assault by what seemed like demonic bats, Shirou couldn't help but think that he had never seen such savage animals before. He gritted his teeth and continued to project blade after blade. His brow started to sweat from exertion.

At the same time, he felt two sets of eyes on him.

Both ShuShu and XueQi were powerless to help QiHao and Shirou. They wielded swords and their magic originated from their weapons. Thus, if they were to attempt to help, they would only harm the two others in the dome.

XueQi was taking the carnage the worst, her already pale face was getting whiter each moment.

Red blood flowed on the ground and saturated the air with its fetid stench.

The bloody scene lasted for a long time; however, the bats finally stopped their suicidal attack. Now, even the Union Mirror's aura had darkened. It still refused to fall under the darkness of the night.

The black cloud still surrounded the only light in the night; not willing to leave.

The four people inside didn't blink. Shirou kept a hail of blades ready to skewer any who dared to approach them and the rest of the three kept their hands on their Espers.

The large crowd of bats seemed to have run out of ideas. The cloud circled above them and never made an attack.

It lasted until dawn

When the first beam of sunlight came, it was like a summon. All of the bats suddenly flew up and circled in the sky for a moment. Then, they headed back to the place where they came from during the night. In only a moment, the countless bats were gone.

The four QingYun disciples were relieved. Shirou and QiHao waited a while to make sure that the bats didn't return. Eventually, Shirou dismissed his projections and QiHao unsummoned Union Mirror's aura.

The dome disappeared.

Instantly, the corpse of bats surrounding them collapsed towards the center and surrounded the four in a disgusting river of blood and death. To Shirou, it was akin to the Grasstemple scene. The river of blood was the same color as the past. The horrible stench made his nose scrunch up. At the same time, he heard a scream come from near him. A hand darted out and grabbed his arm.

The grip was so strong that, even with clothing between them, the nails soon sunk into his skin.

The pain was fleeting but the reason behind it caused even more sadness in his heart. Shirou turned around and saw the frightened, beautiful girl. Her pale face was drawn with panic and caused his heart to hurt without reason.

This girl, XueQi, didn't seem like that solemn beauty during the Seven Peaks Tournament. She looked so scared and fragile.

Suddenly, the fear in his heart from his memories seemed to disappear. There was still some nervousness being surrounded by a river of blood, but his attention was drawn to XueQi.

He stepped forth and blocked the scene in front of her.

XueQi's breathing slowly calmed down. She slightly lifted her head. Her lips pursed into a frown. She looked deeply at Shirou's face and then hid her head in his clothing.

She didn't let go of his arm until they were out of that horrible scene.

* * *

The four people managed to make their way out from the bat corpses. They were already in a very disgusting and embarrassing situation. Their bodies were covered by the dark red blood. They reeked of a combination of multiple foul odors.

QingYun people normally stay very clean; these four were no exception, especially XueQi. For her, this situation was far worse than cutting herself with her own blade.

They quickly walked away, farther and farther, just to get as far as possible from those putrid corpses. They arrived at a flat rock. The four hit their clothes and tried to clean it up. But the bloody stains and horrible stench would not leave the fabrics no matter how hard they tried.

The three men seemed to fair better. However, XueQi's face was no longer scared and weak; she was even colder than normal. She rubbed her clothes aggressively. It was as if she wouldn't give up until not even a single trace of the event remained.

The blood was also really sticky. Soon enough, QiHao, ShuShu, and Shirou had all given up; XueQi still hadn't given up. The three men looked at each other blankly. Even QiHao was embarrassed; his normally silver tongue didn't know what to say.

Thus, the four people were silent. XueQi continued to rub her clothing; her face scrunched into a scowl.

Then a whistle came from the sky. The looked up and saw four lights appear in the distance. Two were yellow, one white and one green. A moment later, the lights landed in front of them. The glows faded and four people appeared.

On the left were two monks.

One of them was huge with thick eyebrows and large eyes. His body was filled with muscles. If it weren't for his cassock, people might have mistaken him for a bandit.

The younger monk standing in front was a head shorter. He was completely different; pale skin, bright eyes. He wore a white cassock. Though he looked small and frail, it would be unwise to underestimate him.

The two people who stood on the right were a young male and female. They looked like a pair; like a boy and girl servants of a bodhisattva.

The four new arrivals looked at the QingYun members. They saw that their bodies were covered with blood and frowned.

The young monk said: "Amitabha, may I ask, are you the four people QingYun sent?"

The four QingYun looked at each other. QiHao stepped forth and bowed: "Correct. I am QingYun's QiHao. You are…"

The shorter monk smiled: "This young monk is TianYin Temple's FaXiang, this is my _shidi_, FaShan. These two are the distinguished FenXiang disciples LiXun and YanHong.

The tall FaShan greeted them respectfully. However, it seemed that LiXun and YanHong were quite arrogant, they simply nodded.

QiHao nodded and ignored the disrespectful FenXiang people. He said to FaXiang: "Ah, I have admired TianYin Temple's FaXiang _shixiong's_ name for a long time now; praised as a rare talent by the noble cultivators. Today we meet, I can see that it is really true!"

FaXiang smiled: "Qi _shixiong_ is mistaken. This young monk is actually quite dumb. It's only because master PuHong didn't desert me that I am able to stand alongside with all the _shixiongs_ from QingYun."

QiHao laughed and beckoned towards the monk amicably: "FaXiang _shixiong_ is too modest. Come, I will introduce my _shidi_ and _shimei_."

Shirou didn't know why, but when QiHao was introducing him, he felt FaXiang's eyes brighten. The monk paid more attention to him.

However, LiXun, who was being ignored, was already not pleased. He waited until QiHao had finished his introductions. He said coldly: "Qi _shixiong_, your QingYun clan is the leader of the noble factions; the most supreme Dao cultivators in this world. But why is it that when we meet today that all of you are so filthy and embarrassing?"

The four QingYun disciples' faces changed. Shirou began to dislike LiXun more and more as he heard the arrogant words come from his mouth. XueQi stopped rubbing her clothes. Her cold eyes stared at the two FenXiang, but more glared at the beautiful girl called YanHong.

Although QiHao was slightly upset, he calmed himself down before it could show. He laughed: "I'm not trying to hide anything from you. Last night, we were trying to search for the Cave of Fangs. Unfortunately, there were too many bats…"

FaXiang and the others' looks changed into ones of sympathy. FaShan's eyes widened and he said gruffly: "Um, they are the animals from the Cave of Fangs; vicious and cruel. Very difficult to deal with."

QiHao noticed that the four people in front of him had arrived a few days earlier and had also met those savage creatures.

ShuShu laughed and stepped forth, smiling to FaShan: "FaShan _shixiong_, does that mean you guys also met those bats?"

FaShan nodded: "Right, but their numbers were massive. We could only return."

ShuShu exclaimed and then let out a dramatic sigh: "Ah, but we are not trying to keep secrets here. We also met those bats last night. We wanted to remove the dangerous animals to help the people, so we killed them for an entire night. But no matter how much effort we put into it, nothing helped. We could only drive those evil creatures back to the cave. Now, all we have to show for it is a body of filth. Alas, shameful, shameful!"

He turned and nudged QiHao. The two smiled and said together, "Shameful! Shameful!"

FenXiang's LiXun snorted with scorn. Disbelief was also etched onto his partner, YanHong's, face. FaXiang smiled and didn't say anything. FaShan's face was one of admiration.

After a moment, FenXiang smiled and said: "This quest to KongSang mountain; the elders of the three factions want us to go and train ourselves. Everyone is here now, but the QingYun _shixiongs_ are tired from their journey. We shall rest for a day. Tomorrow morning, we will go into the Cave of Fangs and investigate. How does that sound?"

LiXun snorted and said: "FaXiang _shixiong_ is right. Otherwise, someone will find another excuse when they get into the cave."

The four QingYun disciples frowned at the barb.

QiHao snorted and said: "LiXun _shixiong_ is right. Otherwise, we won't have the strength to rescue you since we're all tired!"

LiXun's eyes narrowed. He came from FenXiang and was favored by his master since he was young. Not many disciples at his age could match his cultivation. Thus, he had grown to be arrogant. He couldn't take this slight: "Then that means Qi _shixiong's_ cultivation is far better than mine. I would like to see this for myself."

Just as QiHao was about to step forth, XueQi came out from behind him. Her eyes were frosty and she said: "No need to bother Qi _shixiong_ for something like this. Let me test FenXiang's magic."

LiXun suddenly startled. Even though XueQi was covered with bloodstains, her skin was only whiter in comparison. Though she had a cold look on her face, she was still a celestial beauty. He had never seen such beauty before and was left stunned.

At that moment, a circle of steel surrounded each of the people who were about to fight. They both turned to look at Shirou. The golden-eyed boy seemed annoyed and frustrated.

"_Shixiongs_, haven't we've all come here to investigate the leftover Mo followers?"

FaXiang stepped forth and smiled: "Shirou _shidi_ is correct. Besides, before you all departed, your masters must have already reminded you to behave. If they knew that you were using violence here to negotiate, we will all be punished when we go back. This is unnecessary; why don't we all take a step back?"

LiXun snorted and looked at the cage of steel surrounding him. He didn't say anything; the meaning was obvious. QiHao remembered Headmaster Dao XuanZhen's reminder. He said: "Lu _shimei_, FaXiang _shixiong _is right, harmony is important. Shirou _shidi_ please."

The steel surrounding both XueQi and the FenXiang disciple disappeared into golden light. LiXun could only narrow his eyes at the sight. For a person to control so many individual objects at once was quite impressive. Perhaps the red-haired boy from QingYun was actually the strongest out of all of them.

XueQi knew the golden motes very well and immediately went back. She glared murderously at Shirou for stopping her. Her eyes swept across Shirou's face with none of her usual tenderness for the boy. Then, she stood alone at the side. It was a very frosty pout.

Shirou could feel his heart chill after being looked at by XueQi in such a way.

FaXiang then said: "We'll leave here and return tomorrow to investigate."

No one had any complaints.

They all followed FaXiang until they arrived at a small hill about thirty miles away from KongSang mountain. Here, there was a clear spring. It was just what the QingYun disciples needed. They washed and found a secluded place to change clothes. Then, they came out and met with FaXiang and the others.

XueQi had picked a farther location to change; she was the only female QingYun here after all. She had been the last one to come out. After she washed, her beautiful face looked more lovely. ShuShu and LiXun's eyes brightened. Even the quiet YanHong looked at her.

Thus, the eight most promising disciples from the three noble factions sat in a circle on the ground. From FaXiang and the others, Shirou found out that the bats from the Cave of Fangs were tamed by the Mo. They originally assisted with the Mo heretics' tasks. Eight-hundred years ago, when the Mo hideout was wiped out, a small number of these bats survived.

Now, after a long time, their numbers had grown exponentially into today's amount. They went out and hunted for food every day. They had turned the area surrounding KongSang mountain into a barren wasteland.

But those bats seemed to be afraid of sunlight. They were only active at night and rested inside the cave at day. QingYun only met the bats because they started to climb the mountain at sunset. If they went during the day, they would've been fine.

FaXiang went on to explain how they would enter the cave tomorrow. Apparently, the animals only hung upside down from the cave walls in the mornings.

QiHao still had a final question and turned to FaXiang: "There is still one last thing I need to ask FaXiang _shixiong_."

FaXiang said: "Qi _shixiong_, say it."

"Three months ago, our QingYun disciple, Xiao YiCai _shixiong_ came here. Do you know where he is right now?"

FaXiang shook his head: "The two of us arrived with the two from FenXiang together. We've never seen Xiao _shixiong_."

QiHao frowned, thinking.

* * *

The next day, at dawn, Shirou and the othered arrive at KongSang mountain again. The mountain was barren with sand all over the ground. There wasn't even a bird call. If there had been any birds, they probably had already become the bats' dessert or moved out from the hostile land.

FaXiang and the others had been at the location for several days now, so they already discovered the location of the Cave of Fangs. The QingYun group followed him and carefully arrived at the entrance of the Cave of Fangs.

It was a large cave located at the back of the mountain. It slid slightly downwards into the mountain's core. Only the entrance had a bit of light; the inside was completely dark. Even standing sixty feet away, they could feel the freezing wind coming out from the cave. There were also some other sounds coming from the opening; a whisper, like a ghost's cry.

QiHao looked at the threatening cave, turned back and forced a smile on his face: "Let's go in."

FaXiang nodded: "Right, but there might also be other unexpected dangers inside of the cave. We better prepare our Espers first."

This was a serious matter and the eight quickly took out their weapons. When Shirou projected Kanshou and Bakuya, QiHao and ShuShu couldn't help but be drawn to the married blades. Until now, the two of them had only seen simple gray swords. They didn't think that Shirou used anything else.

XueQi stared at the short falchions with a curious gaze.

The rest of the gathered disciples were also enraptured by the set of swords. They were quite beautiful and exquisite. They seemed to be made from high-quality materials. Then their thoughts drifted towards the cage of steel that Shirou had also made. It only confused them.

However, at that moment, Shirou's footsteps were growing quieter and quieter. He was the first on that went into the dark cave. Snapping out of their trance, the others soon followed.

FaXiang quickly followed after the red-haired boy and moved close to him. The young monk smiled as Shirou turned to look at him: "Shirou _shidi_, the road ahead is dangerous. You need to follow closely behind me."

After just a few steps into the cave, Shirou felt the ground under his feet turn soft. His entire body began to stink. He was surprised. Fortunately, the soft sensation ended at ankle height. They were already engulfed in darkness, but with the glow from the Espers, Shirou looked down. His face turned bitter.

He found out that he was standing on an extremely thick layer of bat stool.

The stench was already bad enough, but with his feet sunk into it, it was truly as miserable as it could have got. He saw that the others shared a similar expression. The two females, XueQi and FenXiang's YanHong's, eyebrows were held tight. Their faces were pale.

Shirou shook his head and forced his mind to settle down. After the group got familiar with the stinky environment, they continued forwards. At the same time, the ghostly whisper-like sound was getting louder. It was ubiquitous; near, far, front or back, left or right.

They walked for another forty feet and then, suddenly, QiHao said quietly: "Halt!"

Everyone immediately stopped in their tracks. QiHao's sword, Frozen Melody, slowly rose up and lighted the cave up ahead. Everyone held their breath.

It was an extremely huge cave. The top was very far from the ground. Under the pale white light of Frozen Melody, they could see a countless number of bats hanging upside down from the roof of the cave. The creatures were packed so densely that they couldn't see the rock. It seemed like the baleful cries were created by these bats.

The bats felt uncomfortable when the light shined on them. They moved but didn't fly. They climbed to the darker sports. Some climbed onto their friends. The large jaws of these animals were fearsome.

They held their breath. After a while, they noticed that the bats didn't make too many movements and wouldn't attack. They were all relieved. FaXiang said quietly: "Fortunately, young monk's prediction is right. Everyone, let's continue."

They turned and continued towards the depths of the terrifying cave; deeper into the darkness. As they advanced, the stool on the ground grew thicker and thicker. Under the light of Frozen Melody, they could see an endless number of bats in the cave. The creatures mumbled and made strange noises around their ears. If their minds hadn't been strengthened by cultivation, they would have gone insane.

They continued to walk. Now, Shirou walked in the middle; FaXiang always walked in front of him. He saw that there was some dirt on the young monk's white cassock. Shirou suddenly remembered PuZhi.

These two people, this young monk and the one who lived on in his memories, they were from the same place.

From the front, QiHao suddenly called: "Ah!"

Before Shirou realized it, he felt his feet step on hard ground.

FaXiang quietly muttered a few words under his breath. Then, an orb with a solemn gold light rose from his palm. At first, the light was dim and only encompassed FaXiang, but, under his control, the orb brightened instantly. The golden light surged in all directions.

The golden light shined on each of their faces. At the same time, their hearts felt easy; the nervousness had eased. The dark cave instantly turned as bright as day. If it weren't for the bats, they might have thought that the cave was a holy Fu site.

Even the proud and arrogant LiXun was surprised: "Orb of Luck!"

FaXiang looked at him: "Li _shixiong_ has a sharp pair of eyes."

LiXun's manner towards FaXiang became respectful: "No, it is FaXiang _shixiong's_ high cultivation that is more impressive."

With the light from the Orb of Luck, Shirou could see that they were on clean ground. He lifted his head and found that the bats were gone. However, that strange sound was still next to his ears.

After a few seconds, he realized that there were still a countless number of bats hanging from the top of the cave behind him. But, above the hard, clean ground that Shirou and the others were on, there was a red line that cut through the cave wall. It was like a stone vein.

The red line acted as a border. Outside, there were a countless number of bats, but none of the animals went across the line. Thus, there weren't any more bat stool on the ground.

FaXiang looked around and said softly: "This place is very strange; be cautious everyone."

They were finally able to settle their feet onto a clean surface. After they checked their surroundings, their first action was to tidy up their clothes. ShuShu took off his shoes and poured out all of the disgusting things that had accumulated inside.

He whispered to Shirou: "For the first time in my life, I finally understand how comfortable it is to walk on clean ground!"

Shirou chuckled and quickly tidied up his own clothes. He felt much better. After a while, QiHao saw that everyone was ready. They walked deeper into the cave.

Everyone followed. Soon, as they were walking forwards, the area behind them sank into darkness again.

And in front, darkness was like a devil. It beckoned them with its embrace and an evil smile, welcoming them.

A small light in the darkness; slowly walking.

They continued for quite a long time. The ancient cave seemed endless. Although it used to be very wide, the tunnel became narrower and more twisted the deeper they traveled. They had lost all sense of direction. The group only knew that they were going downwards.

The sounds from the bats were already gone. In the darkness, there wasn't a single sound save for the sounds of their footsteps. Shirou could feel the moisture in the air getting heavier. He couldn't imagine how deep underground they were now.

Orb of Luck shined with golden Fu light and lit up the path. QiHao also summoned Union Mirror, just in case anything happened. They continued to walk.

After a while, QiHao suddenly stopped and held out his arm: "Stop."

They all stopped.

It was silent; not a single sound.

Orb of Luck and Union Mirror got brighter. In front of them, there was a fork in the cave. Both paths were equally dark; leading to an unknown place. Between the forked roads, there was a stone tablet with four characters marked in red.

Heaven Is With Me!

* * *

LiXun snorted at the text and angrily said: "Mo heretics. They dare invoke the name of heaven!"

FaXiang frowned and looked at the monument again: "I heard from my master, PuHong, that the Mo did have a monument like this eight hundred years ago. It was supposed to be cut in half by our ancestors; why is it in good condition today?"

YanHong suddenly spoke: "Look at the bottom of the stone; isn't that a crack?"

Her voice was soft and it was the first time that the QingYun heard her speak. They were a bit surprised to hear her voice. Nevertheless, they followed her words and peered closely at the stone. She was correct, there was a thin gap through the center of the monument, splitting it in half. If one wasn't looking at it carefully, they never would have seen it.

QiHao nodded and said: "Yan _shimei_ is very diligent."

YanHong smiled and lowered her head. She was back to being quiet.

QiHao looked at the monument again and turned towards the others. He said, "This monument has already been repaired. It is clear that the Mo heretics are here doing some shameful business. We were right to come here."

FaXiang said: "Qi _shixiong_ is right. There is danger lurking everywhere in this cave; though, now we have a difficult question. This fork, which road should we take.

QiHao pondered slightly: "FaXiang _shixiong_, you said that your master, PuHong the Divine Monk, had mentioned this place. Did he say anything about this fork?

FaXiang nodded: "Master did mention it, but he only learned it from the elders of the previous generation. During the battle between the noble and heretic factions here, both forks ended up at the Mo heretics' lair. Unfortunately, he didn't know if the situation has changed."

Everyone was silent.

After a while, QiHao looked at the other three people from QingYun. He then turned to FaXiang and said: "What about this, we will split in half. Us four from QingYun will go to the left. FaXiang, FaShan _shixiong,_ and the two FenXiang disciples will go to the right. If we meet Mo heretics, whistle loudly to inform the other group. Sound good?"

FaXiang was quiet. Although he knew that splitting up was not a good thing, the length of the dark roads was unpredictable. If they went down the wrong path, they would waste a couple of hours. They were all elites for their respective factions; they could most likely save themselves. He turned and looked at LiXun and YanHong and noticed that they didn't have any comments.

"Then let's do what Qi _shixiong_ has suggested. Everyone must remain cautious."

Then, he looked at Shirou again.

Shirou felt that FaXiang had paid a lot of attention towards him. He only smiled in reply.

QiHao nodded and saluted to FaXiang and the others. He then led Shirou and the two others down the left path. The golden light behind them slowly disappeared; seemed like FaXiang had already entered the right road.

QiHao walked in the front and put Union Mirror above his head. He activated its magical power and its soft yellow aura covered the four people.

The road ahead got even more narrow. The rocks on either side were sharp and pointy; Shirou almost got cut. The only thing that remained a constant was the eternal darkness. In here, it seemed that there had never been any light.

The four QingYun were not in a mood to talk. Especially QiHao, was who putting all of his effort into preparing for an unknown danger.

They now have walked for a long time. Even if they met some Mo heretics and let out a loud whistle, they all doubted that the other group would even be able to hear it.

At that moment, a sudden change happened. In the dead darkness, there were loud ghostly cries. It was loud and shocking.

The four people were surprised. QiHao was about to remind them about something, but his body was shocked. Foreign glows brightened in the darkness surrounding them. They all converged and attacked the Union Mirror's aura at the same time.

The strength behind the coordinated attack was so strong that the Union Mirror shook. QiHao's body was shocked; he couldn't speak. He quickly focused his mind to support the aura.

The ghostly wails were getting louder and caused the four of them to feel dizzy. ShuShu, XueQi, and Shirou protected QiHao. In the darkness, it was useless for Shirou to try and project any of his blades; he didn't know where to aim. The countless lights were reflected back by Union Mirror. They turned and struck the barrier again. In the darkness, there was an unknown number of enemies, hiding, controlling the Espers.

QiHao's face was pale. His hands held the incantation seal tight. Although it was under the attack of multiple Espers, the Union Mirror settled. The aura got brighter. However, just when the QingYun disciples were relieved, Shirou suddenly felt the ground beneath them shaking.

He hadn't reacted to it yet; ShuShu already shouted: "Careful, below our feet there are…"

He hadn't finished; a huge bang covered his words. They felt the ground shake and then a powerful force erupted from the earth. The ground was distorted and the QingYun disciples fell to different directions. The Union Mirror could protect them from their surroundings, but it couldn't protect the ground beneath their feet. The aura disappeared; the mirror flew back to QiHao.

The whistle of the Espers was like elated laughs. The lights charged at the four separated people.

Shirou was standing a little bit to the front, so he fell forwards when the force from the ground pushed his feet. However, the rigorous training that he had taken allowed him to immediately adjust to his new footing. Yet, that was not the largest problem for him.

He was completely in the dark.

The boy tried to reinforce his eyes, but it was met with no success. There was simply no ambient light for his eyes to work with. With the other three QingYun separated from him, he lost his source of light. He briefly cursed the fact that his projections and Esper never glowed.

Sinister Orb wasn't helping either. The bead stayed purple and dormant.

A moment later, a dark red light was the first to arrive in the vast darkness. Shirou could smell the stench of blood. It was disgusting. He held his breath and shifted his feet around. He searched the terrain around him briefly and fell into a defensive stance.

From an unknown place in the darkness, there was suddenly an exclaim.

At the same time, one gray and one yellow light struck at his body. He used the projections of Kanshou and Bakuya that he had created long ago to deflect the two Espers. Instincts helped him here. It seemed that they had found him from the dim red glow.

Since the three objects all glowed, Shirou was able to see their forms. He saw that the dark red light was a trident dyed dark red with bloodstains. The yellow light was a sword three feet long. The gray light was a strange, giant beast fang.

However, the three Espers were also able to see him.

He was forced to defend from three different projectiles. It was quite annoying. His sight was still limited to just the three Espers in front of him. Their glows were dim and just visible in the darkness.

He deflected the yellow sword and the gray fang. Rolling forwards he also dodged the red trident which had made a large sound with the stone behind him. Shirou realized that he would need to find a solution soon. This simply wasn't sustainable.

The gray fang returned again and tried to strike him from above. The cold tooth point was very noticeable in the all-consuming darkness. Shirou couldn't imagine the consequences if that weird Esper hit him. Shirou gritted his teeth and parried the oncoming fang with a swing of Kanshou. He poured his prana into the falchion and his limb, reinforcing both of them. The fang spun away in the air; a crack appeared on its surface.

From far away, there was a scream. It seemed like the owner of the fang Esper was in pain and surprised.

Shirou had no time to relish that pitiful victory. The yellow sword immediately arrived in front of him. He parried the blade once again. However, the blade didn't give him a break. It turned and attacked Shirou from his feet. The gray fang, although damaged, had returned and struck from above.

Shirou gritted his teeth and blocked both attacks in a show of skill.

However, due to the lack of light, he was not able to see the terrain he was fighting on. So far, he had been lucky and hadn't encountered any strange lumps or anomalies. Yet, his luck had finally run out. Shirou cried out in surprise as he tripped on a loose rock; most likely from the red trident's impact against the wall.

He fell forwards and broke the fall with his arms. It was shocking, but nothing was broken. Suddenly, a sharp pain came from his right shoulder. Half of his body was weakened and his brain felt empty. He turned his attention towards his back and saw that a small trident had stabbed through his shoulder. The blood kept coming out like a fountain.

Shirou saw the dark red color of the trident intensify. It was like his blood had awakened it. Shirou groaned and he originally planned to take out the Esper. Yet, as the blood stain on his back got darker, a shadow rose from the trident and attached itself tightly to Shirou's back.

The owner of the trident lived inside of his Esper.

Shirou felt dizzy and he didn't have enough strength to shake off the Mo heretic on his back. Besides the pain, there was also a paralyzing feeling coming from the wound. The trident was poisoned. He couldn't see the Mo heretic's face, but he could see the hands that grabbed his shoulders; dry, bony and pale.

From far away, there was a wild laugh. From behind him, an evil voice came: "QingYun brat, you've asked for it. Now, give me your fresh blood!"

Shirou didn't have time to understand the words, but he could understand them through the Mo's actions. The Mo heretic in the shadows opened his mouth and bit on the left side of Shirou's neck, sucking the blood. At the same time, the dark red trident embedded in his right shoulder became brighter; it seemed to also be drinking blood.

Shirou was terrified. All of the blood in his body was going towards his throat and to the Mo on his back. His body felt light. The strength of his body gradually disappeared; he couldn't even support Kanshou and Bakuya anymore. The married blades dissolved into motes of golden light.

Was this it?

After coming so far, was this how he was going to die? A pitiful and disgraceful death.

He thought to all of the people that would miss him.

He thought of Bamboo Peak and the disciples; Xiao Hui and DaHuang. ShuShu and the others from Wind Peak would most likely also miss him.

The entire Tian BuYi family would be heartbroken.

That was right.

LingEr had told him to live.

She would be quite sad if he were to die here; to this nameless Mo.

His body shook with anger, but it was still weakened by the loss of blood.

The Mo heretic on his back saw this and laughed.

Yet, in this haze, he felt something stir inside of his soul. Another fragment that he didn't know where to place. A set of words that detailed something greater.

_This body is made of swords._

A surge of power sprung through his tired body.

The change was instantaneous and the Mo heretic on his back cried out in surprised pain. The bloodsucker opened his mouth in horror. The insides of the orifice were cut up and bloody. However, the blood was the heretic's own. Shirou's own blood had turned into liquid blades and cut up the heretic from the inside.

Unfortunately for the Mo, he was partaking in a constant stream of Shirou's blood. There were no gaps in the liquid to stop the magical conductivity. Thus, from within his body, a thousand blades exploded and pierced each and every facet of his body. Shirou's own blood had already begun to circulate in the Mo's body with the technique the heretic used. Thus, the Mo met the cruelest of ends. He felt as if every bit of his body was stabbed and run through by a molten knife.

The scream of terror had only lasted a moment before the heretic died and his suffering ended. The trident in Shirou's right shoulder ceased to glow. He ripped out the metal object with his remaining strength and tossed it to the ground.

* * *

From behind, the sounds of battle filled one's ears. It was clear that the other three QingYun disciples were fighting other Mo heretics. However, Shirou's own location entered an awkward silence.

Shirou was drained and panting for breath. His body was weak from both the loss of blood and poison coursing through his veins. But the owners of the yellow sword and gray fang saw the earlier scene with their own eyes. They were shocked and didn't know how to proceed.

"YeGou, did I see that correctly? Jiang LaoSan was sucking that kid's blood, but it seemed like he was cut up?"

The other person gruffly said: "Damn, QingYun has a person that practices blood curses. Could it be that he is actually one of our holy faction's disciples?"

The first person cursed but he couldn't respond for a while. He angrily said: "No, this person is strange. We must ask him directly!"

Two lights brightened in front of Shirou and from them came two figures. Shirou was surprised and collected himself as much as he could. His body was still leaden and sluggish, but he as best he could to prepare for enemies.

In the light, the yellow sword and the gray fang returned to their owners. The one on the left caught the sword. He was a tall and skinny man; a hook nose and small, aggressive black eyes.

Shirou was surprised by the one standing next to him; the person who caught the fang was very weird looking. He had loose eyelids, a pointed nose, high ears, and a long tongue that often stuck out. He looked like a dog. Shirou couldn't help but think if his Esper was a dog's tooth.

The person named YeGou saw that Shirou was staring at him with surprise. He was mad and shouted: "Hey! Brat! Why are you staring at YeGou?"

"YeGou?" Shirou frowned. Then, he realized that the dog looking man was wearing a black Dao robe. He seemed to belong to the same religion as QingYun. Perhaps the two sects had some relationship if one traced back the history between them three-thousand-years ago.

YeGou saw Shirou's face was scornful and he became angrier: "Brat, this YeGou is asking you; how did you kill the vampire?"

Shirou startled: "Vampire?"

The tall man said angrily: "The one that was on your back!"

Shirou's hazy mind remembered that he had thrown off a body from his back. The bloody mess of a corpse had fallen to the floor behind him.

YeGou and the tall man looked at the other Mo and exchanged a look with each other. They could see the surprise in each other's eyes. The Art of the Vampire is cruel and secret. Although powerful, it severely damages both mind and body. After only a few months of practicing the art, practitioners don't look like either humans or ghosts. Though they were all Mo and respected this magic, they only knew a little bit about it aside from that.

The one that was dead on the floor was the Art of the Vampire's only disciple and he had been killed in the process of using his own magic. Based on what they knew, a blood curse had to be fairly potent in order to harm a vampire like Jiang LaoSan.

However, as the two heretics were lost in thought, they heard a scream from behind. A man in black fell out of the darkness with blood all over his face. He struggled for a moment on the ground; it seemed like he wouldn't live for long.

Shirou remembered that his allies were still fighting. Yet, here he was, talking with Mo heretics. It was foolish. He quickly rose to try and assist.

YeGou and the tall man saw Shirou suddenly move. They were surprised and thought he suddenly revolted. They quickly prepared. But right after Shirou had stood up, he fell; half kneeling on the ground. His head felt light and his body was still weak. Sweat came out from his forehead.

Seeing such a great opportunity, YeGou and the tall Mo beside him couldn't let it pass. Their Espers, the sword and fang, brightened up again.

At that moment, a clear howl came from behind. Among all of the different color lights in the darkness, a dazzling blue beam brightened and immediately snuffed all the other lights out. Within the blue light, Aeolian Steel was unsheathed. Behind the sword, XueQi stood in mid-air. Her clothes fluttered without any wind.

While YeGou and the tall man were shocked, Aeolian Steel's blue light turned into a giant lance made of magical energy and struck at the darkness. Many of the other Espers tried to defend against the attack, but they disintegrated when they touched the blue light.

Then, there were several screams; fix or six men fell out from the darkness. The blue spear impacted against the stone wall and flung debris wildly. Many Mo heretics were wounded.

Shirou couldn't help but deadpan at the destruction: This woman's going to bring the whole cave down on us!

At the same time, QiHao's Frozen Melody brightened and chilled the area surrounding it. He charged from the side and turned many of the Mo followers into icicles. ShuShu followed up and crushed the frozen men with his sword.

YeGou and the tall man looked at each other. They quickly gave up the idea of capitalizing on Shirou's weakened state and beckoned their yellow sword and gray fang to hold off QiHao and ShuShu's combined assault.

It appeared that the two of them were stronger than the other Mo heretics. They managed to quickly stop QiHao and the others, but they also suffered some injury.

These two, YeGou and the tall man, along with the vampire Jiang LaoSan had led the ambush against the QingYun disciples. Last night, they saw the scene where Shirou and the others were attacked by bats. In response, they put up a trap in the depths of the ancient cave to destabilize the Union Mirror's invulnerable like protection aura. They then isolated the four QingYun disciples

Their plan was successful, but the QingYun disciples' cultivation and strength were far higher than what they expected; difficult opposition.

They noticed that Shirou's gray weapons from the previous night didn't radiate any light. Thus, they theorized that he would the easiest to pick off. Shrouded in complete darkness, it would only be a matter of time before he slipped up and they could finish him off. They would move onto their next target after he was dead.

Their plan had almost succeeded; however, they didn't expect the vampire Jiang LaoSan to suddenly bloom into a bladed flower.

The two Mo held QiHao and ShuShu temporarily, but there was still a beautiful lady who wielded a blue sword. The other brat was injured and poisoned, but his willpower was incredible; he had managed to stand and form a simple gray blade.

If all of the QingYun disciples attacked at once it wouldn't be good for them. After just two rounds of the large blue spears, XueQi injured a majority of the other followers. Just as she turned her attention to YeGou and the tall man, YeGou shouted, "Run!"

The tall guy was thinking the same thing and retrieved back his sword Esper. Then, they turned into lights and escaped deeper into the cave. The Mo followers saw their leaders retreat; they screamed and ran away, scattering in all directions.

QiHao quickly made up his mind and declared: "Chase those two." Then, he jumped onto his sword and chased after the retreating heretics. ShuShu immediately followed his _shixiong's_ example.

XueQi's Aeolian Steel brightened. Just as she was about to chase, she remembered something and turned back. She saw Shirou already flying on a simple gray sword. He was very pale and his clothing was torn. There were ghastly puncture wounds on the left side of his neck; his right shoulder was covered with blackened blood. The veins on his skin seemed more pronounced even though he had lost so much blood; the poison must have been quite taxing.

Shirou flew forward without any hesitation. XueQi watched his figure, startled and concerned. After a moment, she followed the rest of the QingYun disciples.

The chase through the cave was a bit similar to that day when Shirou and LingEr chased after XiaoHui through Bamboo Peak's back hill. The path twisted around: suddenly left, suddenly right, suddenly down, suddenly up. There was also another fork in the road, but the four QingYun didn't worry about it much. Their eyes were focused on the yellow and gray lights; they chased after them.

The cave's stones were extremely sharp. Shirou followed closely behind his allies and focused his mind on controlling the sword for flying. Some sections were so narrow that they only allowed one person to pass through at a time. Shirou didn't get the time to worry; he passed them in a second.

Five lights were racing in the darkness. They were going surprisingly fast. Shirou felt that the darkness and the fierce wind were tangling together.

The chase lasted for half an hour. YeGou and his friend had managed to gain an advantage; they were familiar with the terrain. Though, they couldn't get those four annoying people chasing them off. At least they didn't let them get too close.

Suddenly, a ray of light appeared before them. YeGou and the tall man immediately used all of their strength to fly towards the light. QiHao and the others were still chasing. Shirou followed behind them; he could feel the pain on his shoulder throb angrily. He dealt with the pain and kept up with the other QingYun. Even though his shoulder was wounded and his mind was faint, his body still possessed an incredible amount of magical energy.

The light was ahead; getting closer and closer, brighter and brighter. The six people were like arrows in flight and rushed into the light.

* * *

The brightness was tempting like an evil flower blossoming in the darkness. It hurt their eyes after being in the dark for so long. Shirou and the others flew into the light. What awaited them surprised them.

It was a wide and straight natural stone walkway. The cave around the elevated land was an amazingly large area. The top of the cave felt as if it was a thousand feet above their heads; the ground beneath the walkway was a hundred feet below them. Not too far away, there was a large stone on the ground that shined with an intense, strong light; it brightened the entire place.

However, the most surprising thing was not that stone; rather it was what was behind it. It was a huge abyss. The stone had brightened even the top of the cave, but it hadn't managed to brighten up the abyss in the slightest. Seeing it from mid-air, it was covered by darkness. Even the other side of the abyss couldn't be seen. There was only dreadful, evil darkness.

There were three people standing in front of the large stone. One was a large bearded man; the other was a beautiful young woman. The last one was a pale young man in white clothes. YeGou and the tall man landed besides these three figures and stood before the large stone.

QiHao saw that each of the Mo's expressions were strange. He did not dare to be careless. He instructed the group of disciples to land fifty feet away from the large stone.

Shirou stood there and saw three large characters that were carved fancily on the large stone.

Forsaken Abyss!

The four QingYun landed. The people in front of the large stone didn't make a move.

The imposing bearded man frowned and said: "YeGou, LiuGao, you two are pathetic. Going against some QingYun children, you've already embarrassed yourself this much and led them here!

YeGou flushed and was about to retort. The middle-aged woman who was standing behind the imposing man looked at them and screamed: "Where is Jiang LaoSan?"

YeGou looked towards the QingYun and said: "He died by their hands."

"What?" The Mo were shocked; seemed that they didn't expect the QingYun disciples to be strong enough to kill Jiang LaoSan. The woman startled and shook her head: "We won't be able to give a good answer if the Vampire Elder asks us about it!"

The bearded man pondered for a moment and then looked at the QingYun. He mumbled: "Then, we capture these young QingYun and give them to the Vampire Elder. That should be enough."

The other nodded. QiHao saw that they were quite confident; they would need to be more careful. He whispered to the other three behind him: "It seems like these people are the leaders of the Mo here. I fear that their cultivation is higher than the two we just fought. Everyone needs to be careful."

Shirou nodded. He turned and suddenly found XueQi's eyes sweeping over his wounded shoulder and neck. There was concern in her eyes; XueQi turned away.

The large man stepped forth and said to the disciples: "I recommend that all of you surrender right now. You'll avoid the bone-crushing pain when we fight."

QiHao snorted.

XueQi said coldly: "Mo cowards, dare to be so savage; today is the day you die."

QiHao and ShuShu clapped their hands together: "Nice one Lu _shimei_, exactly."

The large man's face frowned: "You asked for it!"

Then, he glared at the four QingYun. Shirou got ready and his body tensed. Suddenly, the right eye of the large man had enlarged and turned blood red. The abnormally huge eye was horrifying yet comical.

They were all curious at the change, however, their curiosity was quickly sated when the man's large eye shot out a red beam. Nevertheless, the QingYun were ready since they say him shift and were already prepared. QiHao immediately used Frozen Melody to form a wall of ice two layers thick.

But the red beam hit the wall, melted a hole, and passed through in just a second. The evil energy dashed to them silently.

QiHao was surprised and he immediately raised Frozen Melody to block the beam. The light hit his sword and disappeared within the white light of his Esper. But QiHao's body shivered. He peered at the blade' the originally snowy white sword had a small dot of dark red.

Frozen Melody was trembling; it seemed like it was invaded by some foreign evil. QiHao's heart was saddened; as a cultivator, his Esper was very important to him. However, the large man didn't allow him to lament. Just when the red beam disappeared into Frozen Melody, the giant red eye shot out another red beam.

Like the one before it, it melted a hole through the wall of ice and silently attacked the group of four.

QiHao frowned; Frozen Melody blocked again. The red beam disappeared but his sword had another red mark.

The large man didn't say anything. His giant red eye kept rapidly shooting the red beams like arrows. QiHao blocked all of them, but his sword was getting stained with the dark red splotches. The white light of Frozen Melody also dimmed.

The other three noticed that QiHao was gradually losing ground. ShuShu was the first to rush out and summon his Esper, XuanYuan. He moved to QiHao's side and wanted to attack; however, the man with the large red eye turned his head slightly and shot a red beam at him. ShuShu couldn't dodge it fast enough and forced to block the strange beam with XuanYuan.

The sword glowed with a soft purple light and the red beam immediately disappeared into the blade. However, on the surface of the sword, there was a red mark. XuanYuan trembled.

ShuShu could feel the evil energy coming from the sword and trying to invade his body. Fortunately, with only a single beam, the presence wasn't too strong. The righteous energy of XuanYuan rose and subdued the evil energy.

But he could get no farther. The large man was standing there completely relaxed; only needing to turn his head to let his giant red eye send beam after red beam to keep ShuShu and QiHao stationary. The two of them were forced to block the incoming red light and their swords kept acquiring new dark red spots. The evil presence was getting heavier. It used the swords as a medium and slowly invaded their bodies.

Shirou saw that the two were in trouble and immediately ran forth. He traced a pair of simple gray blades. Even wounded and weakened, he noticed the abnormal red beams burdened QiHao and ShuShu; he wanted to help. The large man also noticed him and turned his head. He shot out a beam of red light at Shirou.

There was no turning back for Shirou. Though he saw what happened to QiHao and ShuShu, there was nothing he could do except block the light with one of his swords.

Thus, the red beam impacted one of Shirou's plain looking gray swords. Shirou could feel that a strong force had shaken his body, but that was it. There was a small red mark on the gray blade, but it was otherwise fine.

It was then that he understood the nature of the man's attacks. The red beam would assault the Esper and besiege the owner's mind with evil thoughts. It used the natural connection between the two in order to perform its work.

Unfortunately for the Mo, Shirou's blades were an anomaly; they were not Espers. The two blades did not share any special connection with his mind or body; they were independent objects created solely from his own magical energy. Celestial Tear had long since stopped creating its own blades for Shirou. The semi-sentient Esper understood that the boy was the superior bladesmith.

However, the Mo didn't understand this and were surprised. The big man startled; made a sound of surprise, "Huh?" Then, he shot another red beam.

The simple sword blocked it and the red light melted into the steel. The steel and his arm trembled from the impact; Shirou was still quite weak. His two _shixiongs'_ swords were fine and noble, but they couldn't handle the energy like these humble steel swords.

Shirou's feet didn't stop and he gradually got closer to the huge man. The Mo was no longer relaxed anymore and he focused all of his attention on Shirou even though he looked weakened and light-headed. He only shot a solitary beam at QiHao and ShuShu every once and a while to stop their advance; he shot rapidly at Shirou.

It was obvious that Shirou was tired, but he kept walking forwards and blocking with his sword. The savage energy of the red beams seemed ineffective against this young man. Under everyone's attention, Shirou was getting closer, step by step.

Even though the imposing man focused on Shirou, he couldn't stop the red-haired boy's advance. The evil-looking young man standing next to him laughed. There was mockery in his tone: "Elder Nian, your Red Devil Eye seems useless; can't even defeat a few QingYun disciples. You called YeGou pathetic and this is what you amounted to. I think you should pass me the position of Archlord."

The huge man and the woman's faces changed. The woman frowned and said: "Comrade LinFang, we are facing great enemies here, how can you say such a thing?"

LinFang peered at the QingYun and laughed coldly: "If those brats are great enemies, how are we LianXue supposed to stand up in our Holy Faction. How can we dare talk about restoring our past glory under Elder HeiXin?"

Elder Nian shot another red beam at Shirou and then stopped for a moment. He turned back and shouted angrily: "Can you do anything except talk boastfully? Why don't you come up and try?"

An evil smile rose up on LinFang's pale face: "Very well. I will make you eat your words."

Then, he took out a golden fan and started to fan himself.

The QingYun all heard the squabble. They all paid attention to that evil looking young man. Yet, even after a long time, all he did was calmly fan himself. He stood there coolly and didn't do anything.

Could it be that LinFang was only bragging?

Elder Nian was beyond mad by then: "LinFang, if you don't have any skill, then step aside. I can deal with those QingYun youngsters; no need for you to make sarcastic comments. Can't you look at yourself and see that you don't have the skill?"

LinFang snorted and said: "I originally didn't want to fight with you; it would be a dishonorable victory. But it seems like if I don't show some skill, you'll think I was lying."

Then, he tossed the golden fan into the air. It glowed with soft golden light and opened.

On the golden fan, there was a mountain, a river, and a condor drawn onto the surface.

Winds blew; clouds surged; thunder howled; lightning flashed.

They were all underground and inside an ancient cave; there shouldn't have been such strange occurrences. Yet, in front of their eyes, these things appeared.

There was a loud bang and the fan shook a little. After a moment, the mountain on the fan shined and disappeared. From the fan, a tidal wave of stone came out. The mountain of stone then fell on the four QingYun.

Shirou suddenly paled. He quickly dismissed the normal sword he used to block Elder Nian's attacks. He then traced both Kanshou and Bakuya to cut through the descending stone. He projected countless copies of nameless blades behind him, breaking up the rocks before they could fall on him. His mind felt like it was on fire and his body protested heavily; however, it was a life or death situation, so he persevered.

In the middle of the rocky rain, a hand grabbed and pulled him. He was dragged out of the situation. Shirou turned around and found out that it was QiHao who had saved him. He said quietly: "Thank you, Qi _shixiong_."

The avalanche of stone was loud enough to make their heads hurt. It landed and the cave ground and walls shook at that instant. Gravel from the roof of the cave fell like rain. The power was shocking.

ShuShu had made it out and his face was filled with surprise. He said, "Earthen Fan!"

It was quite the famous Esper. It belonged to an old man called FengYue who lived at JieShi Mountain. The peak was a far distance to the east and, thus, isolated from the conflict between the noble and heretical factions. The old man preferred to stay neutral between the forces; he had enough power that neither side troubled him either. The QingYun disciples were surprised to find old FengYue's Esper in Mo hands.

When they were still in this state of shock, the avalanche heartlessly rose up. They had no idea how much magic was needed to drive this oppressive force.

Behind the four QingYun was a stone wall. There was no escape. Rocks rained; lightning flashed and thunder roared. The QingYun were nervous and anxious. Shirou had redoubled his effort and traced sword after sword, trying to turn the hail of stone into dust. QiHao was about to step forth and use Union Mirror to protect them and try to resist this mighty avalanche, but then a blue figure flashed.

XueQi suddenly appeared before the three of them. Suddenly, a blue light flashed and Aeolian Steel was unsheathed with the roar of a dragon. The powerful energy rose.

The thunder was more frantic. The avalanche fell in line with the invisible momentum; it was about to crush the four people into a meat pie. XueQi's face was stoic and cold, her hair danced in the fierce wind; a fairy from the nine heavens. Aeolian Steel shook a little and answered its owner's heart. The blue light engulfed her arm and she swung at the oncoming avalanche.

"Clang!"

The sand blew and the wind screamed. There was a large air current that pushed back. XueQi's face turned pale in mid-air. Her whole body was thrown back and impacted heavily against the wall.

The avalanche was struck by the large blue pillar of light and it stopped. The stones shook in the air for a few times. After a loud noise, it shrank and seemed to swirl back into Earthen Fan. The tidal wave of earth vanished.

The evil-looking LinFang turned his head curiously at the Earthen Fan. His eyebrows immediate frowned. On the fan, the originally magnificent mountain had a large rift from the middle of the mountain upwards. It was like the fan had a broken face.

Aeolian Steel slowly glided back towards the QingYun disciples; it had been dropped when XueQi was thrown back violently. The cold woman herself slid down from the wall she crashed into. Her feet felt wobbly and she almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, the other three had already gathered there. Shirou supported her despite his own condition; helped her stand up.

XueQi was gasping; the air knocked out of her lungs. She wanted to push Shirou away; hated being weak in front of so many people. But when her hand came out, blood ran down her chin from the corner of her lips. Shirou couldn't help but stare at her; alarmed and concerned.

The red blood passed her skin, leaving a trail on her white skin. How could she be this beautiful even in such pain?

Shirou was roused from his revelry when he heard LinFang angrily shout: "Shitty woman! You dare ruin my Esper! You can't even begin to repent even if you die ten times!"

The pale youth then rose into the air. Earthen Fan's golden light shine, though, it wasn't filled with his evil energy. He grabbed the Esper and swung his arm.

Far away from the clash, Elder Nian had already stopped shooting red beams. His Red Devil Eye returned back to normal. He stood still. The young woman beside him stepped forth and looked at QingYun's XueQi. She said quietly: "Did you see it?"

Elder Nian's face was solemn. He said: "It's Aeolian Steel!"

The woman snorted: "I can't believe that a divine item is in the hand of a child!"

Elder Nian watched LinFang's battle against the QingYun disciples. He said: "Aeolian Steel is a legendary item – one of the Nine Imperial Regalia. Our LianXue's founder, Elder HeiXin, was defeated with that sword. Today, we must take that blade no matter what!"

"That LinFang…"

Elder Nian cut her off with a cold laugh: "The kid relies on his family relation with Old FengYue and has become arrogant. If I wasn't short of men, I wouldn't have let him stay. Let him fight the children; you and I will seek an opportunity to take that sword."

The woman nodded and both of them focused on the field. Their eyes glued to Aeolian Steel.

Every time the Earthen Fan fanned, it would generate howling winds; it caused some small rocks to pierce the QingYun. However, once the stones got close to the group, QiHao and ShuShu would block them. When that tidal wave of earth appeared, they didn't know what to do; they didn't have anything to deal with that threat. Now, they could help; their outstanding cultivation was shown.

The two also noticed Shirou's wounds and sudden weariness. They decided to allow their golden-eyed friend to support XueQi. There was no reason for him to exert his limited strength more than he needed to. They would make sure of it.

QiHao with his Frozen Melody sword blocked wave after wave of the fierce wind. He created walls of ice to break the gales. Even though he was originally jealous of Shirou's relationship with LingEr, it would be beyond petty to allow him to fall. He had his pride as a QingYun; Shirou was his _shidi_ first.

ShuShu also showed off his strength. Behind QiHao's ice walls, he was able to control and direct his purple sword, XuanYuan. He looked for a chance to strike LinFang; however, the pale youth was slippery. LinFang was almost struck by the purple light, but he narrowly escaped each time.

These three people were at a draw.

Shirou stood behind his two _shixiongs_ and supported XueQi. He was watching the scene in front of him attentively. His magic was still strong and plentiful; his body was weak and he was still bleeding from his shoulder profusely. The poison wouldn't let his blood clot.

Suddenly, he felt the weight on his good shoulder lighten. XueQi had left his support after a moment of rest.

Shirou saw that her snow-white face had turned pale. He asked: "Are you alright, _shijie_?"

XueQi looked at him and wiped away the blood from the corner of her lips. She nodded her head gratefully and there was an infinitesimally small smile on her face.

Since he had met this icy beauty, her actions always confused him. She was so cold and yet so warm. It was quite vexing.

Nevertheless, Shirou let out a sigh of relief at her good fortune and turned to watch the fight again.

However, just as he turned, he suddenly heard XueQi scream. He was surprised and saw a black rope come out from the stone wall behind them. The rope swiftly bound XueQi's arms to the sides of her body. Afterward, a person came out from the stone wall; it was the woman who was standing far away just a minute ago.

The Mo woman giggled: "Little girl, you were born so pretty; it really makes me jealous. This Celestial Rope is specially prepared for Dao cultivators like you."

Shirou saw XueQi's features scrunch up in pain. The Celestial Rope was already digging into her skin. It was quite tight around her and it was obvious how much it hurt. However, before he could do anything to help her, Elder Nian dashed in and reached behind XueQi for Aeolian Steel.

Shirou wouldn't let Elder Nian do whatever he wanted. He forced himself to focus and projected Kanshou and Bakuya; Celestial Tear instinctively removed the degradation. He reinforced his legs and willed his body to dash forwards.

The Mo saw his approaching figure and his eyes widened. He forced himself to stop and fell to the ground.

QiHao and ShuShu heard the commotion. They turned around and were surprised. However, they were unable to assist. LinFang saw them turn and redoubled his assault. He wouldn't let them get away easily. He was still fighting in front of his boss. Earthen Fan kept summoning gales to keep QiHao and ShuShu busy.

Shirou traced a couple of simple gray swords and enclosed Elder Nian in the cage. It wouldn't hold him forever, but it would at least buy him some time. He then turned to help XueQi. However, the Mo woman wouldn't allow it to be so easy. She smiled and moved the rope. XueQi's beautiful face was a hair away from Kanshou.

The other heretics didn't wait for Shirou to regain his bearings; two whistles came from behind him. Shirou turned around and deflected two Espers with Bakuya. Then, he looked back and saw YeGou and that tall man, LiuGao, attacking him. At the same time, Elder Nian had broken free of his steel prison and seemed all to each to take out his own blade and fight.

Thus, Shirou once again fought against three people. Although he could clearly see his opponents this time around, his body was far more sluggish and weaker than before. It was quite a difficult struggle. The three attacking him were relentless and he did all he could to simply survive.

There was one more troubling thing; the woman who bound XueQi was watching the fight. Every time Shirou tried to counterattack, she would use XueQi as a shield and forced him to stay his blade. If this kept up, he would be injured by the three heretics.

Bound by Celestial Rope, it didn't matter how much XueQi struggled; it was all useless. The Mo woman behind her smiled proudly. XueQi couldn't help but feel concerned for Shirou and a bit guilty; he was fearful of hurting her and was suffering as a result. She became paler and more anxious.

Then, blood spewed out from her mouth and dyed the front of her dress red.

Shirou turned around at the noise and widened his eyes. Unfortunately, XueQi had distracted the QingYun disciple and the three heretics capitalized on the situation. Shirou turned around and managed to block Elder Nian's strike and YeGou's fang-like Esper. LiuGao's yellow sword sliced deeply into his left shoulder. The boy made a cry of pain.

Nevertheless, he had a high pain tolerance and incredible willpower. He tried to ignore the pain and placed his right hand on the sword embedded in his shoulder. He reinforced the Esper as much as he could and he began to feel the metal shake and shudder. Then, he crushed the blade with all of his remaining might and shattered it completely.

With that, an unearthly scream erupted from LiuGao; the tall man was bleeding from all seven orifices of his face. He fell down to the floor. No one knew if he was unconscious or dead.

Shirou saw the shocked looks of the Mo and quickly acted. The woman holding XueQi hostage was distracted and he quickly acted. He reinforced Kanshou just before its breaking point and swung down on the Celestial Rope. Like a hot knife through butter, Kanshou cleaved through the black rope. The woman widened her eyes and XueQi was surprised by her sudden freedom.

However, YeGou and Elder Nian had recovered and attacked Shirou again. With another injury, the boy had become even slower. YeGou sent his fang to attack and the Esper dug into Shirou's back. Elder Nian had activated his Red Devil Eye and shot three beams of red light at the red-haired boy.

The fact that Shirou didn't faint spoke to his incredible endurance. However, he was still propelled forwards and his blood spewed out of his mouth like a spring.

XueQi acted quickly and unsheathed Aeolian Steel. Immediately, she cut the woman behind her across the chest horizontally. The Mo woman spat some blood and retreated into the stone. Even though her body was sorrowfully painful, XueQi rushed forwards and caught Shirou before he could hit the ground.

Aeolian Steel's blue light flashed; it was ready to defend its owner. Yet, XueQi's face was deathly pale; her body too was faltering.

At that instant, there was a sharp whistle. Then, there was a scream. LinFang said angrily: "QingYun brats, you dare harm me? Watch this!"

"Bang!" A large sound echoed through the cave.

Everyone was surprised but Elder Nian stopped his attack and yellow: "Lin _shidi_, you can…"

But before he could finish, everyone felt the ground beneath them shake. They looked towards the Earthen Fan in LinFang's hand. The river disappeared.

Then, there was an ear-deafening bang; the flat ground cracked. A large pillar of water gushed out from under the stone. The strength was so strong that it moved even large boulders. Only that massive, stalwart stone carved with the words 'Forsaken Abyss' didn't move.

The four QingYun disciples were once against separated and washed away to separate directions. XueQi's grip on Shirou loosened.

At that instant, she suddenly felt as if her heart had also sunk.

Shirou's bloody form was floating farther away; he hadn't the strength to resist the current. In front of him was that dark and secret abyss!

She stayed above the surface despite her protesting body. At that instant, the scenes of the past reappeared in her heart.

That young boy she found unconscious at Grasstemple; a kindred spirit.

Widow's Peak's Crystal Hall; the young man that he had become staring at her with those lovely golden eyes during sortation.

At the Seven Peaks Tournament; that solemn smile in the lightning storm.

Just a moment ago; because of her blood, he had rescued her so recklessly!

A large rock fell in her path and XueQi gritted her teeth. Using the last of her strength, she pushed against the boulder and jumped towards Shirou.

The rocks fell like rain; the water roared like a dragon. But these sounds seemed so far away. Aeolian Steel glowed with blue light and followed its owner.

XueQi stood in mid-air and after dodging a few falling stones, she reached out to Shirou and caught his hand. She wanted to pull him back – back to her – but the last of her strength had faded.

"She comes to save me?" Shirou blurrily saw XueQi. The wounds he suffered were finally taking their toll. He vaguely discovered that both he and XueQi had passed that giant rock carved with the words, 'Forsaken Abyss'.

They arrived above the abyss

Then, they slowly fell.

XueQi seemed unconscious; her eyes were closed. Her body turned to the other side. At this moment, there was only happiness on her pale face.

Before Shirou fell into the endless abyss filled with eternal darkness. He used his remaining strength to grab the girl and bring her close to his body. Like many years ago in that ancient valley with LingEr, he wrapped his arms around XueQi's form and turned such that his back would make the first contact with the ground. A golden light glowed as a Fu symbol shined proudly. His magic diverted itself to his back and reinforced it to be like steel.

At the next moment, he fell into the darkness.

In the endless darkness, it felt like an eternity. He couldn't even see the girl who was so close to him.

But at that moment before he too fell unconscious, he knew that XueQi was still there. She had burrowed into his chest and they were so close.

He could feel that her body was so cold.

So cold.

The endless darkness swallowed everything.

* * *

A/N: Yup, we're done for now. If I wrote out the next scene, this chapter would be obscenely long; it doesn't really have a good stopping point. It's the weekend now so I'll try to get it out as fast as I can.

Aside from that, we get to see some of XueQi's softer side today. She's scared of a few things; corpses seems to be one of them. Oh, and another tidbit from the past arrives.

Discount eye lasers as well.

That LinFang guy also seems to be much stronger than Elder Nian. I wonder why he's serving under the old man even though he's stronger and quite arrogant.

Lots of questions.

Next chapter: We descend into that dark hell that Shirou and XueQi have gotten themselves into.


	9. Heretics - 2

A/N: In this chapter, our injured friends, Shirou and XueQi, journey into hell. They meet some nasty things down in the abyss.

Very Shirou-centric chapter.

There are a couple of names introduced; mostly factions / clans on the heretics end. I'm just going to list all the relevant clans that have been mentioned so far. The others are just there for flavor text.

Noble factions (Dao and Fu): QingYun (Green Cloud), TianYin (Heavenly Song), FenXiang (Incense Valley)

Heretical factions (Mo): LianXue (Bloodforgers), GuiWang (Ghost King), WanDu (Ten Thousand Poisons), HeHuan (Acacia) and ChangSheng (Longevity)

Only the first two heretical clans are important at the moment.

* * *

Heretics – 2

In legend, the world was originally dark. After forty-eight thousand years, Pangu separated the earth and sky; created mountains and rivers. Then, after another forty-eight thousand years, Nugua created man.

In this same creation myth, the first beam of light in the world was born from the deepest darkness.

Shirou felt that his body was freezing. The chill wasn't limited to just his body; it had also gone to his heart. It felt like he was going to die.

But he was not afraid; there was no fear. There was only a tiredness that he had never felt before. He didn't have enough strength to open his eyes. Despite the extreme exhaustion, he slowly began to regain his consciousness.

It felt like something surrounded him, very gentle, very careful, but also very cold; slowly absorbing his body heat. Yet, it brought him some special comfortable feeling and caused him to want to fall comfortably asleep like this.

Yet, he couldn't because, in his right hand, a familiar softness was felt.

Yet, he couldn't because, in his left hand, he was still holding a cold, soft hand.

In his exhaustion, he opened his eyes with great difficulty.

It was a light in the eternal darkness!

In the boundless darkness, a light appeared before his eyes. It was a mysterious, white light; floating up and down in the darkness. It twirled around Shirou like the gentlest woman embracing her lover.

It was like a cloud of white smoke, kind of empty and misty. It gradually transformed into a beautiful but grief-stricken face next to Shirou. Then, it was going to kiss that young man's lips.

Her lips; they were a little fragrant, a little excited.

The rest of her was cold.

A cold that could freeze one's heart!

Sinister Orb suddenly warmed up and its green light radiated in front of Shirou. The beautiful face in the white light appeared to fear the green light and quickly floated backward.

Shirou got up, surprised and cried: "Wraith!"

Since ancient times, a person will be born, age and eventually die; only their soul will remain. The soul will leave the body and then reincarnate. Life after life, the cycle continues. But in the world, there are evil spirits.

Due to the three poisons: desire, resentment and fatuity, and the three dreads: timidity, aggression and fear, the spirits that look back at the past, not willing to reincarnate, were called wraiths.

Wraiths also belong to the domain of Yin, so they naturally prefer moist places. Forsaken Abyss was dark and moist; not surprising to have wraiths around.

However, Shirou had never seen such a thing before. When he was young, he heard the adults of Grasstemple Village talk about ghosts. Later, he learned from DaRen at Bamboo Peak that they were called wraiths. He had always been a little afraid of them. Now that he saw one, he couldn't stop the chill entering his body.

His call issued far into the darkness. After a long while, a faint echo responded. Shirou's shout seemed to surprise something. The darkness surrounding him slightly brightened.

Shirou felt as though his heart suddenly stopped beating. He held his breath; saw a multitude of mysterious lights appear in the darkness like that wraith.

Left, right, front, back were all lightened. When he lifted his head, he saw that even above him there were lights. All of them were that mysterious white light.

Countless wraiths were awoken from their long slumber. They felt the sensation of human warmth for the first time in hundreds of years. They gathered around it.

The white lights were like soft smoke; floating around. They transformed into a variety of different faces: males and females, old and young, pretty and ugly. At that moment, there was only a single sensation that Shirou felt from the countless wraiths: coldness.

The wraiths all rushed to him at once and Shirou shivered at the sight. Fortunately, after the surprise passed, he found that the wraiths seemed to be afraid of the green glow coming from his chest. They did not dare get close to the ghastly glow coming from the Sinister Orb.

Yet, before Shirou could sigh in relief, the wraiths discovered something else and moved towards Shirou's left side.

Shirou startled and then turned pale. That soft hand his left hand was holding had slowly turned cold. He quickly pulled XueQi closer to him. With the light from Sinister Orb and the wraiths surrounding him, he could see that XueQi's face was completely pale; at least her breathing still seemed normal. It didn't seem like she was injured much from the fall. He was relieved and looked around; checked the surrounding environment.

He and XueQi were at a waterside. With the darkness, he couldn't tell the size of the body of water. It could've been a small pond, a large lake, or even a legendary underground sea. In the water, he could feel that the water wasn't still. Wave after wave of water gently passed his body.

But the water was really bone-chilling!

Shirou carried XueQi in his arms and rose with difficulty; he had no intention of staying there. He retrieved PuZhi's bead from the inside of his robe and made sure that the light from Sinister Orb was visible. Freezing in water was not very pleasant nor was being assaulted by wraiths. He straightened up and tried to move without jostling the girl in his arms; however, his head became dizzy and his body faltered.

When they were still above the abyss, the majority of his upper back was injured by Elder Nian, LiuGao and YeGou. There was also the grievous wound and poison provided by the vampire Jiang LaoSan. His injuries were not light. Yet, for some reason, they seemed to have wound themselves shut in his sleep.

His body was still weak, however.

The moment that Shirou faltered, the glow from Sinister Orb dimmed. The countless number of mysterious lights brightened. An endless amount of desire appeared on the wraiths' faces.

Shirou quickly recovered and immediately focused his mind. The bead's glow brightened and held off the wraiths. He carried XueQi to the land with much difficulty; the short distance seemed to be very long.

Finally, they arrived on hard ground. Shirou sat down on the ground, panting.

Around them, a countless number of wraiths were circling around outside the Sinister Orb's green aura.

Shirou stared at the wandering lights. He recalled the last memory before he had fainted. He remembered that XueQi came and grabbed his hand; the two then fell into an endless dark abyss. He remembered some faint shouts coming from the platform.

Perhaps, FaXiang _shixiong_ and the others had arrived.

Shirou thought to himself. With the other four people's help, QiHao and ShuShu shouldn't have any issues.

He sighed quietly. The silent darkness was deafening.

"Ah…"

She let out a small moan; a call. Slowly waking up, she opened her eyes.

For thousands of years, there has been a question that has existed since ancient times: If you wake up from a long sleep, who is the first person you want to see?

But no one knew if XueQi had ever heard of this silly question. At that moment, reflected in her eyes, was Shirou's concerned eyes surrounded by the pale, white lights.

A seed of warmth in the darkness!

Shirou was relieved and said: "You've woken up, Lu _shijie_."

XueQi didn't immediately reply; she seemed lost in her own thoughts. Very quickly, she returned to normal. Her confusion dissolved; porcelain face back in its usual cold indifference. She looked around, couldn't help but be curious at the new location.

"Wraith!" Like Shirou, XueQi also exclaimed.

Shirou nodded and comforted her with his words: "Yes, but you don't need to be afraid. They seem to fear the bead around my neck. Nothing should happen for now."

XueQi also discovered that the countless number of wraiths didn't attack them; they only wandered around. The wraiths seemed to be afraid of that baleful green bead. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes and ask: "Is that your Esper? How come it's so powerful."

Shirou shook his head and smiled softly: "No it's not. That being said, we're no longer opponents, so I don't think I need to hide it anymore."

XueQi was curious at his admission. If that orb glowing on his chest wasn't his Esper, then what was it? Why did the wraiths fear it?

Shirou reached into the tattered remains of his robe for the second time. He unclasped the golden threads around his neck and grabbed the object into his hand. He opened his fist so that the girl could see.

"Celestial Tear!" XueQi said with wonder. Under the mysterious white light, she was pale but even more lovely.

Shirou nodded and quickly placed his Esper back where it was: "Yes, it was a gift from _shiniang_ when I reached YuQing's fourth level."

XueQi then frowned: "You have such a versatile Esper, yet, all you used when fighting me were swords. Could it be that you were holding back?"

Shirou denied the accusation: "No, no, it's nothing like that. I seem to be only able to make swords; utterly miserable at everything else. _Shiniang_ thinks that I still need more practice."

She sighed and her mind reminded her of their fight: "Those two swords; they survived against Aeolian Steel. What are they?"

Shirou gave a crooked smile: "I wish I knew more than I do, Lu _shijie_. I know that their names are GanJiang and MoYe."

He could have told her every intimate detail about the blades; that didn't solve the issue of why he knew them so well.

XueQi seemed dissatisfied by the answer, but she didn't press for more.

The girl lowered her head again and took a deep breath. She asked, "How did we manage to live?"

Shirou blinked and answered with half-truths: "I don't really know. I remember grabbing you and turning us around so I would fall first. If anything, I hoped that you would live even if I died."

Then, he pointed to the waterside: "But I think that we fell into the water. We were laying by the waterside when I woke up. Perhaps we were fortunate enough that the tide washed us to shore."

XueQi looked in the direction he was pointing. Among the white lights of the wraiths, she could see that there was water far away. She could hear the faint call of the tide. However, most of her clothes were already dried; some parts were still wet. It was freezingly cold. It was obvious that if Shirou hadn't dragged her to shore, then she would've frozen to death before she could awaken.

She suddenly seemed bashful and averted her eyes. She quietly said: "Thank you."

Shirou blinked and wave his hand in dismissal. He gave a pained smile: "It's no problem."

XueQi narrowed her eyes. She saw him flinch in pain. She asked, "Before we fell, you were injured heavily by the Mo heretics. How are you feeling now?"

Shirou responded with a wince: "Truthfully, not too bad. My wounds have mostly closed, but my body is still weak."

XueQi nodded: "Can you still fly?"

Shirou channeled his energy for Pure Essence. Then, there was a sharp pain inside of his body; felt like a thousand needles. He shook his head and smiled bitterly.

XueQi looked at him. After a moment, she said: "I also cannot. We should get up and search if there is any way out. Otherwise, if we keep waiting here, surrounded by wraiths, we'll be drained to death sooner or later."

Shirou nodded in agreement: "Right."

However, as XueQi was about to stand up, she noticed two things.

Between the two of them, their hands, until now, were held tightly together.

She was half sitting on Shirou's lap.

It was like they had already known each other for many years. Their bodies melded without any feeling; like it was supposed to be like that. It was instinctual; they had both forgotten about it.

XueQi slowly took back her hand and got off of Shirou. Her face was stoic, yet, a faint dusting of pink entered her snowy visage.

Nevertheless, she stood up and checked herself for injury. Luckily, there was nothing serious, though, her internal magical system was a little jostled and messy. Her body was still weak. Seems like the counteractive force from the Earthen Fan was a tad too strong. Her highest concern was still Aeolian Steel. It was in its sheath on her back; fine condition.

She turned around and looked at Shirou. He rose up with difficulty; movements stiff. He appeared to still be affected by his injuries. Additionally, carrying her out of the water probably used a lot of his energy.

Suddenly, she asked: "What level are you in Pure Essence?"

Shirou blinked in surprise: "Err, I believe I was at level six."

XueQi raise a delicate eyebrow: "You do not know what your cultivation is?"

Shirou shook his head: "_Shiniang_ and I didn't pay much attention to my cultivation for the past couple of years. She mostly taught me how to fight; it's the reason why I was able to keep up with you during the tournament. Your cultivation is far above mine."

XueQi scoffed: "Master ShuiYue told me that you were only level five when we fought. It was because of your training and those strange blades that you ended up winning. I didn't believe her. Today, I saw the truth with my own eyes. If your cultivation wasn't high and great, then you would've already fallen to the heads of the heretics."

When the two rose up, Shirou beckoned to XueQi and stood close to the girl; their shoulders were touching. The ghastly light of Sinister Orb was not too large, but it would spread and surrounded them if they were this close. XueQi pondered for a moment and then she pointed in the opposite direction of the water. The two walked into the eternal darkness.

The walk felt like it was endless. Even after a long time, the two were still walking side-by-side on wide, clear ground. Forsaken Abyss was a surprisingly large area but there were no signs of any living creatures.

The only thing in this accursed place were the wraiths floating around them quietly, longing for the taste of fresh blood.

Shirou and XueQi were getting more worried as they continued to walk. At the same time, the Yin energy was getting heavier. Shirou began to feel his blood burning; dizziness struck his head. Even though he had marched on for this long, his body was still tired and his mind was faint. The injuries inflicted by the Mo still throbbed with angry pain.

After a while, XueQi discovered that something was wrong with Shirou. She asked: "Are you alright?"

Shirou forced a smile: "It's nothing; let's continue."

XueQi frowned and looked at him: "What about we…"

Before she could say 'rest', Shirou's body swayed and fell to the ground. The purple bead around his neck dimmed and became inert as he fell.

XueQi startled but quickly went to support him. She found out that he was already passed out. At that instant, the calmest person in QingYun was in a panic.

Then. She thought of an even more terrifying question.

Sinister Orb was inert and unable to do anything. What could defend her against the countless wraiths?

At the same XueQi had this realization, the wraiths all startled. In front of them were two living bodies without a hint of protection.

In the darkness, it was like a cacophony of voices were laughing wildly and shouting madly. The countless wraiths all froze in mid-air. Then, like greedy beasts, they rushed towards the two helpless people in the darkness.

"Clang!"

A clear loud sound in the darkness!

XueQi stood in front of Shirou; her face cold. She drew out her sword.

Aeolian Steel unsheathed!

Blue light rose, the pure and magnificent light had brightened the dark world

The wraiths' dim glows vanished in front of the blue light. Despite this, the wraiths had no sign of fear and continued to swarm in from all directions.

XueQi gave a light shout. Her pale face scrunched up in pain but it was soon replaced with determination

Under its owner's control, Aeolian Steel's glow brightened and sliced across the charging wraiths.

The moment that the wraiths touched the blue light, there was a hiss and a popping sound. The first couple of wraiths were dispersed.

The wails echoed in the darkness. It was terrifying.

Even though Aeolian Steel possessed divine strength, it couldn't intimidate the remaining wraiths. The moment when XueQi made her move, several wraiths came from behind her and attacked the unconscious Shirou.

She saw it from the corner of her eyes. Turning quickly, she swung Aeolian Steel; swept above Shirou body and dispersed the wraiths.

But there were just too many wraiths. It made no difference in killing them. With her body already injured, XueQi became exhausted after just several rounds. The spirits flew around and threatened them. The blue light of Aeolian Steel became weaker. XueQi gritted her teeth, but fell and sat down next to Shirou.

Even though this young man was unconscious, his face was scrunched. What could he be thinking of that could make his heart and mind suffer like that?

XueQi mumbled: "I didn't think that I would die together with you today."

She straightened her body. Her face was white; she would not give up. Her right hand formed the orchid incantation seal. Aeolian Steel rose from her hand; pierced the ground in from of XueQi. A new wave of blue light appeared. With the sword as its center, the light formed a protective aura around XueQi and Shirou.

The surrounding wraiths saw the tasty, living bodies right before their eyes. Then, they went to the two swiftly. However, after a moment, the aura swelled and the blue light rose. The light flashed and formed an arc above the two people's heads and blocked the wraiths.

If an observant person saw this, they would notice that the aura was weak. There was no strength in it; XueQi was slowly dying just by trying.

Seeing that their delicious meal had managed to escape again, the wraiths were getting very angry. Their ghostly cries became louder. Countless wraiths strived to crush and obliterate the aura. Each time one of them impacted the light, XueQi's body shook and her face became paler. The light from Aeolian Steel dimmed a little. The barrier had already shrunk to only a quarter of its original size.

XueQi's face was as pale as paper. She watched the hideous smiles of the wraiths' illusionary faces; watched as they opened their ethereal mouths. It was like her entire body had fallen into a sea of ice.

At that moment, she suddenly heard something. From the mouth of the unconscious Shirou, a murmur came out.

XueQi quickly turned. There were no words that could describe her feelings. When defending alone against the wraiths, she suddenly heard his voice. A happiness that she had never experienced before rose in her heart.

Yet, before she could see Shirou's face clearly, a strange thing happened. The ground below them was originally hard, but a large hole had appeared at the place Shirou was laying down. He fell in.

XueQi was shocked; eyes widened. The hole was completely dark and she was unable to gauge its depth. But deep in the darkness, there were a pair of large, horrifying red eyes.

Nevertheless, without any hesitation, Aeolian Steel's aura dispelled. Surrounded by the wraiths' screams, XueQi grabbed her sword and fell into the dark hole after Shirou.

After that, all of the wraiths followed them into the hole.

A thud echoed through the cave. A moment later, there was suddenly a sharp roar among the ghostly wails of the wraiths.

"!"

It sounded like the raging roar of a wounded boar. Not a moment later, a large figure jumped out from the depths of the cave. Behind it was a countless number of wraiths, flying across the cave.

Under the ghostly lights, XueQi helped Shirou off the ground with her left hand. Blood came out from the corner of her lip. The left side of her body was stained red; it appeared that she had been injured.

Shirou had relied on XueQi in order to stand, but his eyes were already open and gauging the situation. He left her gentle support and nodded in thanks. He felt his circuits burn as he traced Kanshou and Bakuya. Sinister Orb began to weakly glow green; warded off the wraiths.

"Lu _shijie_, can you still move?"

XueQi nodded: "Yes, I should be fine."

Shirou's eyes flicked back to her and then back to the figure in front of them: "Stay close to me then. The wraiths still seem scared of this bead."

This young man and woman, in this world of darkness, supported each other; depending on each other.

XueQi watched the wraiths rage and swirl around them; the ghosts didn't dare to come down. An indescribable gladness rose in her heart. Even though they were still not out of danger, it was good to have him by her side.

Then, her eyes landed on that giant figure in front of them. They could smell an extremely rancid odor. Then, with the ghostly lights of the nether spirits, they were able to see the shape of that wicked beast.

It was a beast that was about two men high: pig head and dog body, sharp fangs, dark black body. Its hair was spiky like needles and its eyes were red in the darkness. They looked sort of like the Mo Elder Nian's Red Devil Eye.

That foul creature was lying down on the ground, breathing heavily. Under the black, dirty fur, its left forelimb was cut open; appeared to have been done by Aeolian Steel. Its eyes stared at the two humans who wounded it. Hatred shot out from its eyes; wanted to swallow them right away!

Wraiths danced in the air. When they passed by the beast, they didn't attack. It seemed that the two entities minded their own business.

XueQi's body was hurt and tired. Though she claimed that she was fine, she wanted to just fall down and sleep; no longer think. After struggling for a few moments, she managed to hold out. She whispered to Shirou: "There are too many wraiths with that beast here. We don't know if anything else will come out after that. Let's get away first."

Shirou nodded and agreed with her words. The two stepped back. Unfortunately, when they took a step back, the wraiths also took a step forward; the beast also would not let them go, it followed. They slowly retreated backward, together, under the dim glow of Sinister Orb. Kanshou and Bakuya ready to defend. XueQi's held Aeolian Steel, but it didn't seem like she would be able to fight.

Yet, the wraiths continued to follow them. The pig beast seemed to be wary of the two, but it still wasn't willing to give up.

Shirou and XueQi were already wounded. In the dark and moist Forsaken Abyss, they were exhausted from the several earlier battles. If it weren't for the wraiths and beast forcing them to act, the two would have probably relaxed and fainted.

But, at this moment, they were facing a matter of life or death. Some unknown strength and courage came from their bodies and helped them hold out to now.

This Forsaken Abyss was also unknown to QingYun. It was surprisingly large. They walked for a long time but they were still on open ground. There wasn't even a hint of a wall. It was hard to imagine how they managed to land this far after falling off.

There was no free time for them to think about this. That single beast and countless wraiths were everywhere in front of them. A second could be the difference between life and death. They couldn't do anything about it; continued to slowly back up. Then, suddenly, Shirou felt his back hit something hard.

The two didn't dare lower their guard against the creatures in front of them, so they walked backward. Shirou was surprised that they suddenly hit something. He quickly turned his head and found an unexpectedly large tree. It was more than three men wide.

Shirou was relieved and told XueQi, who was beside him: "It's nothing. It was just a tree…"

Before he could finish, Shirou felt a rope-like object tangle around his neck. His entire body was then carried into the air by a strong force.

XueQi was surprised. She turned around and screamed: "Tree spirit!"

A lonely tree growing on the open ground. The quiet tree's branches moved like a man's arms. One of the thick tree branches had grabbed Shirou. In the darkness, the writhing figure of the tree spirit was like a demon from the nine hells.

Shirou felt the grip around his neck getting tighter. He couldn't breathe. XueQi wanted to help, but an earth shocking roar came. The pig-beast used this opportunity. It jumped and slashed with its giant claws; they flashed with green light, perhaps they were poisonous.

XueQi was left with no choice but to parry. She tried several times to rescue Shirou but was unable to with the beast in her way. She got herself into danger.

Shirou had gotten caught by the tree spirit, his throat was in extreme pain. The tree spirit issued a terrifying hiss, most likely out of pleasure. The branch limb pulled him back to the tree trunk. At the same time, more branches came and tied around his body. Only his hands were able to move; he couldn't offer any other resistance.

Shirou was nervous. He looked at XueQi and found that she was also in trouble. He turned back and the tree spirit shocked him again. On the tree trunk, a large mouth slowly opened. A sharp, putrid smell gushed out from the mouth.

Shirou's eyes widened. He had never thought that one day he would become fertilizer for a tree. This way of dying was disgusting.

He had almost arrived at its mouth.

A surge of strength in the face of death.

He flooded his body with prana. Even though he had only done this with his hands before, it should've worked in the same fashion. He pushed his magical energy into the limb wrapped around his right arm. Unable to crush it, he simply poured more and more into the branch. The tree spirit made a wailing noise that sounded like pain. He continued to pour all of his prana into the tree.

Then, he used his feet to push against the trunk. The now brittle surface shattered like cheap glass. The tree spirit roared in pain and let go of Shirou. Then, he broke Kanshou and Bakuya; slashing with abandon at the creature that had captured him.

Each slash was deadly against the tree's weakened constitution. The extended blades cut through the spirit with ease. After the last roar of its life, the entire tree collapse. It lost its life.

Shirou landed on the ground in a crouch. He dismissed the broken Kanshou and Bakuya. His body was burning and a significant portion of his prana had been used.

At that moment, a scream came from XueQi. Even though he was tired, Shirou quickly traced a new copy of Kanshou and Bakuya. He turned and saw that XueQi was being attacked by both the pig-beast and countless wraiths. She fell backward under a heavy hit. Her clothes were stained red; her injuries seemed severe.

Shirou threw away his thoughts and willed his aching body forward. The moment he arrived in front of XueQi; countless wraiths fled away in fright.

He gave her form a glance and saw that she was deathly pale and bloody. She would need some help. His eyes were tired but determined; finish off the pig-beast quickly.

_Spirit and technique, flawless and firm._

He threw the traced pair of Kanshou and Bakuya at the beast; it parried the two blades with its tusks. The married blades ricocheted off into the distance.

_Our strength rips the mountains._

Shirou reinforced his weakened body with both his prana and Brahman Wisdom; the time for secrecy had long since passed. He dashed towards the creature and savagely attacked it with a newly traced set of Kanshou and Bakuya.

_Our swords split the water._

The beast managed to block the first slash, but it fell victim to the next two. Suddenly, its sensitive ears picked up a faint whirring sound. It screamed in pain as its back was stabbed by initial pair of married blades.

_Our names reach the imperial villa._

Then, Shirou traced a third and final set of swords. He flooded them with his prana and then broke; extended. The crystalline steel wings shone with a graceful yet savage beauty. In the expanded steel, the beast could see its own haunting red eyes; reflected. It was in too much pain to fully comprehend what Shirou had done.

_The two of us cannot hold the heavens together._

Shirou slashed through the beast's body; the creature collapsed, dead. However, the tired young man didn't relish in his victory. He quickly ran back to XueQi before the wraiths could circle her again.

The girl was kneeling on the floor, her eyes hazy; staring at the scene in front of her. She looked up and their eyes met.

Shirou caught XueQi. Her body was cold and she had just fainted. His body was exhausted; he wouldn't let himself relax just yet. XueQi's breathing was becoming more rapid; the skin on her left shoulder had turned black. She was poisoned.

He was nervous. Even if the two monsters - the pig-beast and tree spirit - were dead, there were still a countless number of wraiths. But as he turned around, he discovered that all of the wraiths were already gone and had returned to the darkness. Shirou was surprised but didn't question his good fortune. He didn't think much of it; quickly turned back to take care of XueQi.

But Shirou didn't know that this was all thanks to the Sinister Orb around his neck. Eight-hundred years ago, Elder HeiXin had expanded the Mo clan, LianXue, and shocked the world. He had set up a base for them in the Cave of Fang's underground maze.

Elder HeiXin was a cruel and ruthless person. When he crafted the Sinister Orb, he killed countless individuals; ended many lives. Many of those spirits were gathered in the Forsaken Abyss. Their hatred and fear left them unable to reincarnate.

They were all murdered by the Sinister Orb. Even though the Esper had been modified by Shirou's unusual magical presence and might, its appearance and radiated aura were identical. When Shirou circulated his magic, the ghastly energy was shown. The wraiths were scared away, thinking that Elder HeiXin had been revived.

Shirou slowly lowered XueQi to the ground. Looking at the wound that had already turned black, he sighed.

The eternal darkness had become quiet once more; dead silence.

Shirou felt dizzy. He ripped off a relatively clean part of his robe and bound XueQi's wounds. He looked relieved when he had finished.

He sat there quietly; protecting the unconscious girl.

The green light of Sinister Orb covered them.

It was quiet.

So quiet!

There weren't even the sounds of insects. In the Forsaken Abyss, there were only wraiths and strange beasts; there were no other living creatures.

But, at that moment, Shirou suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

The footsteps in the darkness were soft and harmonious, but to Shirou, it was like spring thunder. He stood up and turned to the direction where the footsteps came from.

In the darkness, there was a light moving. Then, from the light, a girl appeared. She wore a green dress; pair of thin eyebrows and pretty eyes; porcelain white skin whiter than snow. In the spiritual gorgeousness of the darkness, she had a soul touching beauty.

Shirou opened his mouth and his eyes widened. He couldn't find his words. That girl in the green dress was the young lady he met in Sunstream City's ShanHai Yuan.

* * *

That young lady also saw Shirou and the unconscious XueQi. She didn't expect that there would be any living humans down here. She was also surprised.

Then, she recognized Shirou. She startled. After the wonder vanished from her face, she smiled.

"It truly is such a small world; we meet again!" She was like a bloomed lily in the darkness; gracefully walked over to them.

Shirou rose and stood in front of XueQi. Even if he had already met this girl, a person who had come to the Forsaken Abyss, a place where wraiths and beasts live, was no ordinary person. They were not a normal human.

The young lady got closer. Shirou saw a white flower between the fingers of her right hand. It glowed with a faint white light, lighted the ground around her. It looked like the same flower from ShanHai Yuan.

But Shirou had no time to care about the flower. He was cautious around the strange girl. Seeing her alone in the dark Forsaken Abyss, he felt more anxious.

"Yes," Shirou responded; tense.

The young girl looked at him and smiled: "Why, aren't you QingYun's prodigious disciple, Shirou? Why have you come to this ghastly place? This is not a place that you guys should venture into."

Shirou's eyes narrowed: "How do you know I'm from QingYun?"

The girl smiled and didn't answer him.

Shirou frowned; this girl was very unusual. While he was sorting his thoughts, the girl softly laughed: "May I ask you then, Shirou; how long have you been down here? Found DiXue Cave yet?"

Shirou startled and asked: "DiXue Cave?"

The girl snorted and the smile on her face was gone. Her tone still remained calm: "Shirou, you pretend to be so silly. You're so-called noble and just people; if it weren't for the treasures in DiXue Cave, why would have you come to this dark and dirty place?"

Shirou was confused. However, he understood that there was a place called DiXue cave along the bottom of this abyss; probably contained some important items. But he didn't hear his master or _shishus_ mention it. Yet, this wasn't the heaviest thought in his mind; he understood the meaning of the girl's words.

Shirou said in a low tone: "You say that our QingYun is a bunch of hypocrites. Who are you?"

The girl flicked her green dress and drew an arc in the air with her flower. The white light lasted for a while in the darkness before it slowly dissipated.

"Me? Aren't I your QingYun's most hated enemy; the savage Mo heretic?" She smiled evilly.

Shirou's heart sunk with disappointment. However, the feeling quickly faded and left no thoughts in his heart. He snorted; his mind was focused.

When he first entered QingYun, he was taught by all of his elders about how the Mo heretics troubled people. They were cruel and lawless. QingYun rule forbade them from having any relationships with Mo. They were an eternal enemy.

Of course, Shirou took this lesson seriously, but he wasn't fully convinced either.

This girl in front didn't seem to hate him and didn't seem to want to fight. Her eyes peered behind Shirou and suddenly smiled: "Ah, is that _shijie_ waking up?"

Shirou turned and saw that XueQi had moved a little. Her lips moved and her eyes slowly opened. Shirou was gladdened: "Ah, you woke up!"

But nervousness was on XueQi's face. She struggled to say, "Careful…"

Shirou hadn't reacted yet. He smelled a fragrance surround him. White light flashed and a white flower appeared in front of his eyes.

It the darkness of the Forsaken Abyss, where could one find a flower? Shirou was surprised and stepped back. The flower floated in the air in front of him, like it was smiling and nodded to him. Just at that moment, the flower fell apart. The clean white petals glowed with ghastly green light and flew towards him.

Even if he didn't know that this girl had Mo background, Shirou could tell that something was wrong by just looking at the flower itself. He was prepared for the sudden attack. He took a few steps back and traced Kanshou and Bakuya to defend both himself and XueQi. Most of the petals were parried when they met the married blade, but some passed through and almost wounded him.

Shirou cursed the Mo heretic in his heart. He had doubted the words of his master, _shiniang_, and _shixiongs_ for so long; today, he learned that this heretic in front of him was born from the same evil that they spoke of. However, when he lowered his guard, he noticed that the girl was rushing towards XueQi.

His eyes widened. XueQi was severely injured and had no strength to fight back. He was already behind the Mo girl. He quickly reinforced his limbs with prana and Brahman Wisdom; charged at the girl in the green dress.

The girl in the green dress smiled when she heard the sound of howling wind. She waved her hand. Quick as lightning, the petals flew back to her and gathered around the bud of the flower. The reconstructed flower glowed with a faint white light and went forth again. Shirou batted the object away with Bakuya, but he experienced an unexpected heaviness.

In the darkness, there was suddenly a cry of surprise.

With this opportunity, Shirou redoubled his efforts and quickly went to XueQi's side. He stood in front of her and didn't allow the Mo to continue.

But that heretic suddenly stopped and didn't advance. She let Shirou return to XueQi's side. She looked at the golden-eyed boy with surprise in her eyes.

She originally thought that the Heart Lotus in her hand was enough to stop Shirou. Unexpectedly, Bakuya had blocked Heart Lotus. She intended on paralyzing Shirou with the fragrance that it released, but it backfired slightly. She was surprised.

Shirou stood in front of XueQi and helped her stand up. He asked quietly: "Are you alright, Lu _shijie_?"

XueQi nodded her head. Shirou was relieved and turned his head. He angrily said: "Shameless Mo, do you only fight people who can't strike back?"

The girl's surprise was replaced with anger. She snorted: "Fine, then I will let you see the power of this heretic."

While she was speaking, she prepared herself for combat. Shirou lowered himself into a guard. However, XueQi was leaning on him weakly. She was still heavily injured and weakened from a poison. The Mo heretic in front of him was an unknown. If they fought, he would have a hard time defending XueQi and himself.

Unfortunately, things did not always go to one's expectations. Shirou's mind raced and discovered that the situation became even worse.

From the darkness, another light appeared; but this light was different. Even though it was bright, the color was very dark; almost like a black light. Within the light, a ghostly figure emerged and walked towards them; stopped beside the girl in the green dress. She was a tall woman dressed in black clothes; a soft veil covered her face. She was the one who traveled together with the girl at ShanHai Yuan.

After that, Shirou's surprised eyes noticed several other lights brighten in the darkness. Five people in yellow clothes appeared. They were the attendants of that young girl in ShanHai Yuan. Now they were all here.

Shirou felt his throat dry and his breath escape him. Under the eyes of so many people, his weak body couldn't help but shiver. At that moment, he heard the soft and weak voice of XueQi speak.

"You hurry and get out of here. These people's cultivation is on the same level as you and I. We cannot fight them!"

Shirou turned his head and stared at XueQi in shock. The request that she asked of him was absurd. How could he possibly run away and leave her to die? Disgraceful. It went against everything he stood for.

Yet, XueQi's eyes were one of acceptance. It was like she believed that her words were just common sense. Shirou frowned and bit his lip. He turned his head back and faced the mysterious Mo followers.

"BiYao, be careful." The masked woman looked at the two. Her eyes then landed on Kanshou and Bakuya in Shirou's hands: "Those two falchions are a bit strange."

BiYao, the girl in the green dress, said: "Aunt You, what did you find out?"

The masked woman, called Aunt You, didn't show her expression through the veil. There was still some puzzlement in her words: "There was a beast that I found dead. Its body was mutilated; most likely from those two swords."

BiYao snorted: "Then, I want to see how powerful they are with my own eyes!"

She took a step forward and the men in yellow behind her also stepped forth. Shirou was nervous. He wouldn't be able to fight. Perhaps if both he and XueQi were fully recovered they could hold them off. He didn't let down his guard and helped XueQi walk backward.

The masked woman was filled with a heavy ghostly energy. Her body floated forward in the darkness. She followed BiYao like a spirit. She spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: "BiYao, look around the boy's neck. That power; do you feel it?"

BiYao looked at the nervous Shirou and nodded.

The masked woman paused: "Though it is rather powerful, I can't help but feel that its energy is suppressing something underneath. It looked akin to the Sinister Orb used by Elder HeiXin; though, it doesn't have the same bloodthirsty aura. Even though the magic feels like steel, there seems to be some evil at its core. I think it must have some relationship to our Holy Faction. The boy's identity is also suspicious; you must think twice before you act."

BiYao frowned: "Aunt You, what do you suggest?"

The masked woman's tone returned to normal: "Capture them and bring them to your father. The Archlord of GuiWang knows everything to know about this world. He must know what that is!"

BiYao considered the words for a moment: "That's fine."

While they talked, they kept on walking forward. Without any instruction, the people in yellow clothing did not attack. They walked for quite a distance as they talked.

Shirou supported XueQi, his heart was getting more and more nervous. Then, his ears picked up the sound of water. It seemed that they returned to the shore where they started.

BiYao was intrigued and asked: "Aunt You, is this the Heartless Sea?"

The masked woman pondered for a moment. She suddenly sighed and answered: "Infatuation results in only heartless pain! Yes, this is the most mysterious of all the five seas, Heartless Sea."

Perhaps it was because she was still young, but BiYao didn't notice the masked woman's sorrow in her words. The young girl was excited now: "Ah! Since I was young, I've always heard father talk about this. He said that below the Heartless Sea is the Sea of Nine Hells. He said that DiXue Cave is located near the Heartless Sea in the Forsaken Abyss. Seems like we finally found it after three days."

But the masked woman was now strangely silent. She didn't reply to BiYao.

BiYao was a bit puzzled, but she ignored it. She turned her head to the two QingYun and said: "Well, I'll capture you first. Then, I'll search for DiXue Cave."

She waved her hand and the five men in yellow clothing stepped forth and were ready to fight. Behind Shirou, there was the dark and endless Heartless Sea. His front was surrounded by Mo followers. There was no way forward or backward; a dead end.

XueQi could feel the chilly wind come from the Heartless Sea behind her. She felt so powerless; a bit dizzy and nauseous. She attributed the sensation to the poison.

However, she didn't consider these things much. She knew that if Shirou were to stay here and defend her, they would both die.

She turned her head and looked at Shirou. Even though that young man was so nervous, he still seemed so determined; resolved. In his eyes, there was no desire to retreat. Only a conviction that he would somehow bring them both to live another day.

"Shirou _shidi_…" XueQi softly called. Shirou heard it. His shoulder twitched. It felt like he was about to turn his head but thought better of it. He was focused on the forms of the heretics in front of them.

"Lu _shijie_, I will not abandon you. Even if my body is crushed and my spirit destroyed, I will not abandon a friend."

XueQi's eyes widened for just a second: "You really think that of me? Even with all I've done? I've only burdened and hurt you so far."

Shirou didn't reply.

The freezing wind from the Heartless Sea blew her hair gently. It softly swept across his face.

Then, the waters became violent.

The darkness was like a sigh; the wind was the hideous smile of the Heartless Sea, laughing at the world.

BiYao smiled and led the five attendants to surround them.

Shirou took a step back; he felt his foot enter into the bone-chilling water.

At that instant, the Heartless Sea slowly became more turbulent. Suddenly, a huge wave formed. The sound of the water was shocking to the ear. It seemed to be about thirty feet high. Everyone on land was surprised; they were barely able to stand.

The masked woman, Aunt You, called out: "BiYao! Retreat!"

BiYao was surprised. She knew that Aunt You was experienced and knowledgeable; even her father respected her. She didn't question the older woman's words and quickly went back.

Once she moved, the five in yellow clothes followed her. Only Shirou and XueQi, who were standing closest to the sea, were unprepared and hit by the large wave. Their bodies were wet and the bone-chilling coldness was hard to bear.

After that, everyone looked at the changing Heartless Sea. Above the dark sea, two massive green eyes brightened. They weren't normal though; instead of being circular, they were vertical and thin. Its eyes let out a cold, vicious intent.

"It's this thing!" The masked woman trembled: "That animal still hasn't died!?"

BiYao was surprised: "Animal? Aunt You, what is this thing?"

The masked woman looked at the two lights that were getting closer and closer to them above the raging Heartless Sea. There was fear in her voice as she said: "That is the Abyssal Viper; a primordial beast."

BiYao was shocked and couldn't believe what she heard: "Wasn't that demon already slain by the holy beast Golden Bird thousands of years ago?"

The masked woman said hurriedly: "So they say, but apparently that's false. I don't know, BiYao. Abyssal Viper is an ancient demon; very deadly. Other than its natural enemy, Golden Bird, nothing can kill it. We need to run."

BiYao retreated several steps. She suddenly turned and said: "But that boy…"

Aunt You shook her head: "We cannot worry about him right now; hurry."

Yet, BiYao still hesitated. Shirou and XueQi, who were still standing next to the beast, held their breath.

Those two could see the ancient creature clearly. Its two glowing eyes were almost two men high. Since he had entered the Cave of Fangs, Shirou kept on seeing large and strange eyes; from Elder Nian's Red Devil Eye to the pig-beast's eyes. Yet, those couldn't compare to the large pair in front of him. It was like comparing a seed to a mountain.

The sea wind wasn't salty; it reeked of blood.

* * *

The large black snake slowly appeared before them. Its lower body was soaking in the sea water. No one here was even half of the snake's body's thickness. The upper body and head were already thirty feet above the ground. Its eyes glowed with a green light.

Shirou had never thoughts that there could such a large creature in this world. He thought that QingYun Widow's Peak's Water Kirin was already pretty large. That paled in comparison to the Abyssal Viper; Water Kirin seemed like a small kitten.

It wasn't just him. XueQi, the Mo BiYao, and the others were all shocked when the snake revealed itself. They were unable to speak.

The waves of the Heartless Sea gradually became calm; however, the fear had not left their hearts. Abyssal Viper's giant body sat in front of them; a demon from an ancient time.

The giant creature slightly swung its head; it seemed like it didn't expect there to be any living humans in the Forsaken Abyss. It looked at them curiously; however, it didn't make a move.

The calm XueQi was the first to put herself back together. She turned her head and saw Shirou was still staring at the Abyssal Viper. She pulled his sleeve. Shirou shook and turned his head.

XueQi whispered: "We step back."

Shirou nodded in understanding. XueQi seemed to lean more heavily on his shoulder as they walked backward. BiYao, who was next to Yao, saw them moving and cried: "Don't move…"

Shirou and XueQi were startled. In the blink of an eye, the Abyssal Viper's green eyes glared. It had been alarmed and let out a roar that shook the heavens. Everyone covered their ears, but they could still feel them ringing.

While Shirou was still in his state of shock, the Abyssal Viper's body moved; the tail beneath the water's surface swept. Immediately, a forty feet high wall of water mightily rushed towards them. With the water was the snake's black tail; striking them.

Even though the water was still several yards away, the gale had already hit their face; it almost knocked them down. If they actually got hit by this tidal wave and the black tail, they will be flattened or crushed into a thousand pieces. Shirou did not hesitate. His right arm wrapped XueQi close to his body. He ignored his body's protests and summoned a gray sword to fly them back.

But the wall of water was as fast as the wind; faster than any movement. Shirou hadn't even made it ten feet before the water caught up to him. At this crucial moment, the roar of the water was next to his ears; Shirou's body tightened. He roared in defiance and flew upwards. Yet, he was only ten feet above the ground before the water surrounded him.

"Boom!"

He was unwillingly drawn into the unrelenting tide; his body was soaked thoroughly. He heard XueQi scream. His arm had loosened under the unstoppable force.

He and XueQi were separated.

Shirou paled when he realized this. He struggled to get to XueQi, but the strength of the current was too strong; his body still weakened. In just a moment, the two people were already several yards away from each other.

He saw the raging tide roaring wildly; XueQi, who was next to him a moment ago, had already disappeared into the dark water's depths. Shirou was shocked and his body trembled; his brain was in chaos. His entire body was pushed forwards by the giant wave.

When Shirou felt every part of his body was about to be rent apart by the strong pressure his eyes noticed something. In the water, there was a black figure. Abyssal Viper's giant black tail swung towards him.

Spray and rocks flew everywhere as the black tail passed by. The momentum was unstoppable. Shirou didn't think he would live if he was hit by this giant tail.

In this critical moment, Shirou was suddenly filled with strength again. In the water, a soft gold light surrounded Shirou. He traced another gray sword and used all of his might to fly upwards. He made it ten feet above the turbulent water.

Just as Shirou was relieved that he escaped, a massive force swept through his lower body. Instantly, his entire body shook. Though it wasn't the tail itself, his vision turned black and he was almost knocked out. If it weren't for his incredible willpower, he would have probably died here.

That Abyssal Viper's tail had ungodly strength. Shirou's body shook with bone-crushing pain. It felt like his entire body was going to split apart. He had used all of his strength to make it out of the tide; he couldn't resist this force. He was launched backward.

He unwillingly sailed through the endless darkness. When he turned his body around, he saw that the giant tide and tail had quickly swallowed BiYao and the other people. The men in yellow clothes tried to escape in all directions, but they were soon consumed by the wave.

The girl in the green dress rose up. Both of her hands formed an incantation seal. A white glow; Heart Lotus rose up. In just a moment, it had created six mirages, circling Heart Lotus in the middle. Every flower had a beam of pure white light connected to the others; formed a white wheel.

BiYao was pale, but she didn't panic. Once the white wheel was formed, it began to spin rapidly. The bright white light blocked the giant wave. In just a second, the water crashed down against the light and accumulated against the barrier. The force was terrifying.

With this moment of opportunity, BiYao rose up from the ground. Yet, at that moment, the sound of the wave became heavier. It was the giant black tail; swept across.

The white wheel was demolished instantaneously; it couldn't block the slightest bit of force from the tail. The beautiful girl was about to be hit by the Abyssal Viper. Suddenly, within the water, the masked woman reappeared. A soft, yellow, round object flashed in the air. It then swiftly pushed BiYao away before the tail could get her.

BiYao suffered the same consequences as Shirou had. Although she managed to dodge the tail itself, she was still hit by the passing force. She too fell into the darkness. At the next moment, the masked woman also disappeared into the mighty wave.

The strength of the Abyssal Viper's tail was astonishing. Shirou could only hear the sound of wind next to his ears while his body flew backward.

If he hit something, like a hard-stone wall, all of his bones were going to be crushed; reinforcement and Brahman Wisdom could only do so much. Regardless, Shirou had no control of his body. His life depended on fate.

But the Forsaken Abyss was very large. Shirou had flown for a while and he had yet to hit anything. Shirou felt his speed start to slow down; slowly descending as well. His momentum was beginning to slow.

Falling onto the ground didn't feel very pleasant, but it was still better than splattering against a wall. Just as Shirou was relieved, he suddenly felt as if the darkness in front of him had turned solid; it crushed him.

A precipice laid before him. Shirou curled up and covered his head as he hit it.

"Bang!"

The stones scattered and his vision wavered. Shirou's entire body was shocked and he spewed a mouthful of blood. At that instant, he felt as if his boy had fallen apart. If I weren't for a combination of reinforcement and Brahman Wisdom, he would be dead.

Though it had protected him, it still didn't feel good. His body stopped at the wall and then peeled itself off weakly. On the way down, he hit the hard walls several times. Among the terrible crushing sounds, sharp pains ran over his body. He didn't know how many bones were broken during the fall; there probably wasn't a single part of his body whole after this terrible day.

After another hit, Shirou had almost given up all hope. Then, with the weak green light of Sinister Orb, he blurrily saw a black shadow below him; an old tree growing on the cliff.

Even though he didn't think that a tree would be growing on the cliff wall, he held out his hand and grabbed that old tree.

He was falling fast, but he had managed to do it.

As he caught it, he noticed that the tree didn't feel cold like the wall; rather warm. However, he had latched onto the tree with too much force; the old tree didn't have very strong roots. Though Shirou grabbed the trunk, the plant shook severely. After several swings, the tree and Shirou both fell.

The moment he fell, Shirou's heart sunk. Just like him, his heart had fallen into a bottomless abyss. His body was still falling, but, due to that pause, he was going much slower. After a loud bang, he fell on the ground and passed out.

* * *

After a long time, Shirou slowly woke up. Before he could fully open his eyes, he felt sharp pains all over his body; like it had fallen apart. But since he could still feel pain, it appeared that he was still alive. His simply felt absolutely miserable.

He opened his eyes; what he saw startled him.

At this moment, he was at a sealed and moist place; most likely a cave. It was about two men high, but only ten feet wide; very narrow. The walls were all cold and hard stones. It looked about the same as the cliff. If he wasn't inside of the cliff; he was near it.

The stones in the cave also seemed to have something glowing in them. None of them were luminescent things were large enough to be noticeable among the stones, but there a lot of them. They let out beams of gentle light and brightened up the cave.

Shirou looked closely at the cave. On one end was a pile of rocks and blocked the road tightly. The other end extended farther, but there was a turn; he couldn't see where it led to.

He startled on the ground and then decided to get up. But when his body moved, his left hand pushed against the ground. At that instant, his entire body was filled with horrible, severe pain. He cried, "Ah!" His body trembled; his left hand was especially painful.

"Hmph!" A cold snort suddenly came out from deeper in the cave. Shirou was surprised. He turned his head and a lady came out from the turn. Green dress and a pretty face; isn't that the young Mo heretic?

They were enemies and fighting not too long ago. Shirou saw that his previous enemy had reappeared. He quickly traced a normal gray sword. He forgot the pain in his body.

BiYao glared at him; she had no intention to fight. She appeared to be lost like she had no spirit left within her. She impatiently said: "Okay, okay, look at your silly face. Several of your bones are already broken, yet, you're still willing to fight."

Shirou frowned but saw that the girl had no intention to start something. He awkwardly lowered the sword; didn't dismiss it. Once he relaxed, the scalding pain immediately came back. He couldn't help but let out another cry.

BiYao looked at the young man's strange look; she couldn't hold her chuckle. The atmosphere was softened, but, after the laughter, she let out a long, sorrowful sigh.

Shirou scoffed; his usual stoic temperament was a bit displaced after the day's events: "What are you laughing at?"

BiYao looked at him: "I'm laughing at you."

Shirou noticed that the girl spoke very directly; a bit shameless. He frowned: "What's so funny?"

BiYao's face scrunched. It seemed like she was about to go on a rant. However, she held herself back and sighed: "We won't be able to live for long; what use is there arguing with you?"

Shirou was alarmed. After hearing what the girl just said he asked: "What did you say?"

BiYao looked at him. She spoke as if he was a small child: "This is a cave; can't you see?"

Shirou said, "Yeah, then what?"

BiYao snorted and then pointed to the pile of rocks behind him: "This is the only exit; it got buried by those rocks. Go and try to break through it!"

Shirou's mouth dropped. He looked at the exit and saw that it was sealed tightly with rocks; not a single gap. Even though he might have possessed some tools to help him through the barricade, he didn't know if there were more stones above them. Also, he didn't want to risk collapsing the cave.

Shirou blinked blankly at the sight. Then, he remembered something important. He turned his head and asked: "I remember that I fell on the ground after hitting the cliff walls. How did I end up here in this cave?"

BiYao lightly said: "I dragged you here."

Shirou's eyes widened: "Huh?"

BiYao looked at him: "I landed not too far away from where you fainted. Abyssal Viper was still chasing after us. I raised my head and saw that the place where you pulled off that old tree was a cave. There was light coming out from it. The cave wasn't that large, so I hid in there. Before I left, I felt pity for you so I took you in, dummy!"

Shirou frowned: "Why is the entrance blocked?"

BiYao shrugged. With an unfortunate look on her face, she said, "For some reason, the Abyssal Viper couldn't enter. Out of anger, it hit the wall with its tail. Half of the cliff collapsed and buried this cave; buried us here."

Shirou looked at her for a while. She had no reason to lie. He let out a deep sigh.

Unfortunately, Shirou used his left arm again in an attempt to stand up. He cried out in pain. His vision blackened.

BiYao saw Shirou's face immediately pale; the boy held out his left arm with a pained look. Her heart jumped, but she coldly said: "Don't act you're dying; I've seen a lot of people like you."

Shirou had no strength to argue with her about his 'acting'. He felt that his arm was being stabbed to death; the entire limb already turned numb from the pain.

BiYao watched for a while and saw that he didn't seem to be faking. She walked towards Shirou. She didn't care for the boy's reaction; squeezed Shirou's arm several times.

Shirou was sweating in pain now: "What are you doing?"

BiYao didn't get mad; rather, she seemed a bit apologetic: "Your arm is broken."

Shirou let out a sigh. He replaced his projection with another gray sword, though, this one was more like a metal stick. BiYao was startled by the action and quickly jumped back. Shirou offered the girl a wry apologetic smile.

He had learned some basic medical techniques back at Bamboo Peak. Using his mouth, he tore off a piece of his robe and tied up his left arm.

When he was done with the process, he let out a tired sigh. Turning towards BiYao, he gestured towards the metal stick holding his arm straight. The Mo girl slowly walked back over.

Shirou then nervously asked: "Ah, by the way, have you seen my _shijie_?"

BiYao was startled by his sudden anxiety. She shook her head: "It was a matter of life and death; who has time to care about other people?"

Shirou was quiet and his mind and heart were filled with worry. XueQi was poisoned and heavily wounded. It was a disaster; her life was in danger. He sighed and lowered his head.

BiYao's face softened, watching this young man lower his head in grief. She asked, "Do you have a good relationship with your _shijie_?"

Shirou was startled from his thoughts. He shook his head: "Truthfully, I don't know anymore. I think I do, however."

He got up from the floor, carefully making sure to avoid using his left arm. He looked at the large pile of rocks again. He sighed and walked into the cave.

Seeing Shirou walk farther into the cave, BiYao asked: "Where are you going?"

Shirou said: "If I'm buried alive in here, I want to at least see what's inside."

BiYao snorted. Still, in this lifeless cave, she still followed him. Seemed like there would be no fear if the two walked together.

After the turn, a long corridor appeared before Shirou. It was similar to where he had come from; just a bit wider. The stones on both sides were also glowing, brightening up the place. The ground was thick with dust; there were clear footprints.

These footprints on the road seemed to be left by BiYao when they first arrived here.

After a while, they reached the end of the long corridor. There was another turn. At the same time, they could hear the faint sound of water.

BiYao suddenly said behind him: "Shirou."

Shirou simply raised an eyebrow: "Huh? You still remember my name?"

BiYao chuckled: "You told me in Sunstream City; I didn't forget."

Shirou looked at the girl strangely and asked: "Why can we hear water?"

BiYao said impatiently: "This is the end of the tunnel. There is a screen of water. Other than that, there is nothing else; no exit. Alas! I can't believe that I will die in this place."

Shirou ignored her dramatics and continued walking. After a while, the sound of running water was gradually getting louder. He saw that, at the end of the tunnel, there was a screen of water hanging from the top of the cave. The splashing water was crystal clear and beautiful. It landed in a small pond. It was quite good scenery for a dead-end.

But, at this moment, no one would have the heart to appreciate such scenery. Shirou went in front of the waterfall and closely examined it for a moment. He felt his body freeze.

Behind the waterfall was a hard, stone wall, not too different from the walls on the sides. They could clearly see the pond's bottom. There was no exit for the water; it probably sunk into the earth. As for above, there were only stones were water dripping. Where could there have been an exit?

Shirou turned his head and met BiYao's eyes. They looked at each other for a moment and remained quiet.

The cave became dead silent.

Shirou was distraught. He was buried alive but also worried about XueQi's situation. Also, the pain coming from his left arm was difficult to bear.

BiYao looked at him. Her heart couldn't bear it. She said softly: "Sit down and rest for a while. We'll patiently work out way out of this place."

At this dead end, Shirou's hostility towards her was all but forgotten. Even though they had fought against each other as enemies, it made no difference in the current situation. If they were going to die here soon, why should he care about past misgivings?

Shirou quietly sat own and blankly looked at his surroundings. He stared at the stone wall near the water. His mind was a cacophony of thoughts: 'I can't believe the first time I leave the mountain I run into so many issues. If master finds out, he'll probably scold me to death. If LingEr finds out, master's scolding won't matter; she'll kill me herself!'

BiYao looked at him and saw that Shirou was acting a bit strange: "What are you thinking?"

Shirou shot up to attention. How could he tell this girl such things? He eyes peered around and changed the topic: "There are so many strange things in Forsaken Abyss. Look at the few red spots on the wall. When water flows past it, they look just like blood…"

BiYao suddenly jumped up. Her eyes widened and her face was anxious. She quietly asked: "What did you say?"

Shirou didn't expect BiYao to be so excited from his statement. He blinked and pointed to the roof of the cave: "There are a few red stones…"

BiYao didn't bother hearing the rest of his answer. She walked towards the pond and immediately looked upwards. Through the water drops, there were a total of seven red stones; each about the size of a fist. Their texture was the same as the surrounding rock; color was different.

Shirou saw BiYao was excited. She was fully absorbed in looking at the stones. He rose up and walked next to her. He was curious. The seven red stones were scattered. They formed a weird hook-like shape.

Their color was especially curious. Though they had been washed by the water for many years, they were still blood red. Even when the crystal drops of water flew past the red stones, they turned into the color of fresh blood. They slowly dripped down, like blood dripping from the top of the cave. But once the water drops were far away from the red stones, they returned to their normal clear color.

As he was watching the water drip, BiYao was murmuring under her breath. Suddenly, she had an epiphany. She was overjoyed and accidentally smacked Shirou with her right hand.

BiYao ignored what she just did in her excitement. She exclaimed: "Elder HeiXin - you old man - you built DiXue Cave in such a place. No wonder we couldn't find it for eight-hundred years!"

Shirou was surprised. He remembered that BiYao had interrogated him about that cave. He rolled his eyes; understanding entered his mind.

BiYao was very happy at that moment. Mo was the most ancient of all three major groups. It consisted of many factions; the rise and fall of clans were very common.

Eight-hundred years ago, when Elder HeiXin was leading LianXue, his clan was the leader of the Mo factions. LianXue's strength was unyielding; possessed many talented and gifted people. Elder HeiXin was greatly cultivated and strong. But as time continued to pass, they were involved in multiple conflicts with the noble factions. Eventually, LianXue weakened and was replaced by other factions.

Today, there were four main Mo factions. They were the WanDu clan, HeHuan sect, GuiWang faction, and ChangSheng Hall. Yet, even if they were the strongest today, none of them could match the LianXue in their prime.

Within the Mo, there was a rumor that survived since the battle between the noble and heretical factions eight-hundred years ago. Even though the leaders of LianXue were all slain, there were still many secret Espers and texts hidden in DiXue Cave.

For eight-hundred years, the Mo secretly sent their men to the Cave of Fangs many times. They searched the entire Forsaken Abyss many times; all returned with empty hands.

Though BiYao was still young, she was already an important person in one of the four main Mo factions, GuiWang. This trip to the extremely dangerous Forsaken Abyss showed just how much trust the Archlord of GuiWang had in her. Now, the cave that countless ancestors have searched for appeared before her; how could she not be happy? She even forgot that she was in a hopeless situation.

BiYao stared at the top of the cave and then rose up into the air. She carefully touched the red stones. They were cold, but there was nothing different about them in comparison to the rock around it. She softly tapped those red stones; nothing happened. Besides excitement, there was also nervousness on her face.

Then she pulled, knocked, lifted, smacked, and pushed each of those stones.

Nothing happened.

For the next four hours, Shirou sat on the ground and watched as BiYao walked around. The girl in the green dress frowned and pondered. She thought of new ways to hit those red stones.

Nothing happened.

After a while of watching, Shirou felt his stomach rumble. He was hungry. He put his hands in his clothes and wanted to take out some food. However, his pockets were empty; probably lost the supplies when he felt into the water. There was no food inside the cave; the pond is so clear that there wasn't a single fish.

The hunger in his stomach was getting heavier; difficult to bear. Shirou couldn't do anything but drink the water from the pond. It was helpless.

He sighed grievingly; probably going to starve to death in here.

BiYao showed no signs of hunger. Her mind was focused completely on those seven red stones. She had bothered with them for the entire day and had nothing to show for it. She eventually sat down; her eyes still staring at those red stones.

Shirou looked at her and couldn't help but remind her: "What is the use of looking at it? If we don't think of a way out, we're probably going to starve to death in here.

BiYao's body moved a little. It seemed that she remembered that there was a QingYun disciple next to her. She turned to him and suddenly asked: "Are you hungry?"

Shirou just shook his head: "It's nothing."

His stomach betrayed him; it rumbled fiercely.

BiYao couldn't hold back her laughter; Shirou blushed.

BiYao saw his expression and continued to laugh. After a moment, she took out a bag of food and handed it to Shirou. Then, she said seriously: "I say you better help me think of a way to open DiXue Cave!"

Shirou looked at the food given to him: "Are you trying to bribe me with a bag of food?"

BiYao rolled her eyes and then smiled: "You're wrong. I'm saying that we're currently at a dead-end. If there is no way out, we will certainly die in here. However, in front of us is DiXue Cave. If we can open it, there is probably an exit in there!"

Shirou nodded his head. It was logical. For survival sake, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find DiXue Cave since there could be an exit. Otherwise, they would surely die.

However, he stubbornly ignored the food that BiYao had handed him. They should save it if things become really dire. He rose up and looked at those red stones again. BiYao wasn't mad; she looked at his back and smiled. She then also looked at the top of the cave.

The seven red stones made a hook-like shape. Besides the color, there was no discernable difference. Shirou looked at it for a while and couldn't get anything out of it. He planned to hit those stones, but then he remembered BiYao had tried everything. He quickly abandoned that idea.

He lowered his head and began to ponder. He could hear the slow drips from those blood-red stones. Shirou opened his eyes; he noticed that the pond was a bit red.

No, it wasn't red, it was the stone's reflection.

Shirou frowned. At that moment, something else came into his mind. He took a step back; stared at the water. He saw the reflections of the seven red stones. In the pond, they no longer looked like a strange hook, but more like a palm.

Shirou called: "Hey."

BiYao was still looking at the red stones above her. She said unconcernedly: "I am not hey."

Shirou rolled his eyes: "Then who are you?"

BiYao turned and smiled: "I am BiYao."

Shirou repeated it twice and remembered it in his heart. He shook his head: "Come over here and look at this."

BiYao was a bit puzzled. She rose up and walked to him: "What?"

Shirou pointed to the water. BiYao bent down and looked. She saw the gentle ripples on the surface. After focusing a bit, she could see the seven red stones' palm like reflection.

BiYao was shocked, she quickly turned around: "This is…"

Shirou just shrugged: "I accidentally saw it. I don't know…"

BiYao cut him off before he could finish: "It doesn't matter, we need to try it."

Then, she didn't say any more useless things and stepped into the water.

Shirou was surprised. In just a second, the water wet her dress. The girl didn't seem to mind it. She just quietly waited.

Eventually, the displaced water settled. BiYao patiently waited for the seven stones' reflections to appear on the surface again. Shirou now watched her from the ground. The pearl-like water drops landed on this beautiful girl's hair, shoulder, face, and dress.

The clear drops slipped down from her hair and slowly flew past her snow-white skin. Her beauty was like the clear water.

Shirou was enchanted by the sight. The original sound of water in the cave suddenly seemed so far away. In his eyes, there was only a girl who stood in the water; a lotus with her soul touching beauty blowing against his face.

The seven stones' reflection eventually reappeared. BiYao focused on their positions and then submerged her right hand. Her hand passed through the gentle water. The light reflected on this beautiful girl's face; caused her face to shimmer.

The pond was very shallow and BiYao's hand soon reached the bottom. There was a thin layer of sand on the bottom. Under her fingers, she could feel that there were five places that were slightly elevated. She was delighted; softly brushed the bottom. Under the sand, there were five small stones embedded into the ground. They glowed with a red light.

BiYao didn't hesitate; she pressed down on the protrusions with her five fingers. Then, she raised her head.

Nothing happened.

The happiness of BiYao's face froze. Her eyes met with Shirou's; then, she turned away again.

Shirou was about to say something to comfort her. Suddenly, BiYao thought of something. She carefully searched the positions of the two remaining reflections. She found two more protrusions. This time, she seemed very nervous. She carefully placed her left hand below the water. Then, she pressed all seven stones at once.

Nothing happened.

At that instant, Shirou and BiYao though that the had failed again. The cave was quiet; there was no sound other than the water.

Then, after a long time, a sharp but heavy hiss issued from the far wall.

BiYao and Shirou looked at the source. Behind the screen of water, the stone wall that was once flawless and hard had sunk in. Although it took a while, it finally showed a new cave entrance.

Shirou stared at the secret entrance. His heart was excited but nervous. Most of all, he was curious.

This was an important place for the Mo for eight-hundred years. What could be in there?

BiYao slowly walked back to the ground and stood next to him. Her eyes were all smiles. Shirou peered at her. Her elegant beauty; a waterdrop softly slipped off from her face and fell down. It was like it had hit his heart.

He was surprised at his own thoughts. He turned away and said quietly: "Congratulations."

BiYao also seemed to be a little startled. Her eyes continued to smile; her voice was gentle: "It is only thanks to your attentiveness."

For some reason, Shirou's mouth was dry and his face was heated. He took a step away; subconsciously getting away from the girl.

She said: "Why aren't you going in?" BiYao looked at him and a smile broke out on her face: "You seem to fear me?"

Shirou regained his bearings and shook his head: "No, no… Nothing like that."

BiYao looked at him for a while and then nodded. Her face was still smiling: "Let's go in together."

Shirou startled and scratched his head: "Yes. We can find an exit out of here."

BiYao smiled and nodded. She stepped into the water again, walked past the water screen, and entered the cave. Shirou followed behind her.

It was a ghostly tunnel. The glowing objects on the wall were much less numerous than on the outside. Although they could still see, it was very dark.

Shirou and BiYao were cautious and attentive as they walked. This was the first time that anyone has been here for eight-hundred years. They had no idea what the old LianXue ancestors might have left.

But the way forward was peaceful. There were no traps or anomalies. The path was winding, dark and long; slowly going upward. Shirou guessed that he and BiYao were at the center of the mountain.

While he was thinking, BiYao, who was walking in front of him, suddenly stopped. She said quietly, "We're here."

Shirou snapped to attention. He walked forward and saw the end of the tunnel. There was a bright beam of light shining ahead. There was a large stone chamber. The two looked at each other; BiYao began to walk.

As they got closer, they could clearly see the details of the stone chamber. It was round. On the other side of the circular room, there was a tunnel. It appeared that this wasn't the end.

On the left side of the stone chamber, there were two large stone statues. One was kind and smiling. Its dress looked like it was fluttering in the wind.

The other was totally different. Aggressive appearance; black face and horns; eight hands and four heads. There was blood next to its mouth. Anyone would shiver at the sight.

In front of the two statues, there was a stone tablet with a censer on it. A couple of bags of incense laid next to it. They were all covered with dust; probably never used for eight-hundred years.

Shirou was puzzled by what he saw, but BiYao's face was serious. She took a futon from the right side of the room and cleaned it thoroughly. She placed it in front of the statues and picked up some incense from the table. Using a flint, she lit up a stick of incense and put it in the censer. After that, she returned to the futon and knelt down.

In the stone chamber, there was only a light smoke and BiYao's kneeling form.

Shirou moved behind her and listened to her voice echo in the stone chamber.

"Mother of Wisdom, Heavenly Father, this is the Holy faction's forty-third disciple, BiYao, sincerely praying. The Holy faction has faced tragedy and was weakened for a long time. Many followers sacrificed one after another to rebuild the Holy faction. I wish that Mother and Father can pity the world; grant my wish, rebuild the Holy faction, save the people. Together we shall reach the realm of longevity, immortality, bliss, and happiness."

Shirou realized that the two statues were probably the gods that the Mo worshipped. He stared at the statues curiously.

Then, he turned to the girl kneeling in prayer.

He wondered what kind of salvation BiYao wished for.

* * *

A/N: Now Shirou gets some _extended_ alone time with BiYao. He's very concerned for XueQi and the others, but he needs to save himself at the same time.

Also, a bit of clarification, I'm now saying that Abyssal Viper is a Beast from fate. He's just an old boy with a nasty temper. Maybe if Shirou wasn't so weakened and exhausted, he would've cut some skin off of him to make some nice things.

Not much action after the snake though. Jolly cooperation.

Next Chapter: We will probably wrap up the cave sequence and move onto the next arc. There haven't been any hints of where we're going yet. We'll introduce some new comedic relief now that we've lost the Bamboo Peak disciples for the time being. Shirou and BiYao also get to know each other better. Past and world-building.


	10. Heretics - 3

A/N: In this chapter, Shirou and BiYao are trapped in a cave. We hear her backstory.

There's quite a bit of foreshadow for a future arc. It's quite heavy-handed and in your face.

* * *

Heretics – 3

BiYao bowed before the two statues seriously and sincerely. Then, she rose up and peered at Shirou. He was staring at the two statues and standing still. She frowned but didn't think much of it. She said lightly: "Let's go!"

When they had entered the tunnel, Shirou had overall positive feelings about this girl. Even though she was quite energetic and brash, she was very kind; why else would she have given him a bag of food for no reason? However, seeing the two statues made him think back to the words of his master and _shixiongs_. Heretics cannot be trusted; they are cruel and vicious.

Of course, he knew that this was not necessarily the case; he knew personally that at least one of the QingYun was more corrupt than any heretic he had encountered thus far.

Upon hearing BiYao's call, he snapped out of his daze. He nodded: "Yes."

BiYao looked at him curiously, then, she walked deeper into the tunnel. Shirou followed behind her. This time, they didn't walk for very long. They soon arrived at a spacious area decorated differently than the stone chamber they had just exited. It was a cave filled with various strange and colorful limestones. In front of the two, there was a large tablet made from the same material as the chamber. Ten characters were flamboyantly carved.

Heaven and Earth are heartless; treating man as disposable tools!

Each of the characters was about half a man in size. The writing was ancient and the strokes were made with powerful strength; the words flew across the tablet like a raging wind.

Shirou was surprised; however, a large part of his soul agreed with the sentiment. After staring at the tablet for a moment, Shirou suddenly felt dizzy. He couldn't help but take a step back.

Nevertheless, he quickly pulled himself together. The characters were still on the tablet; perfectly still. He didn't know why he suddenly experienced a wave of nausea.

While Shirou was recovering from his surprise, BiYao walked past the stone tablet into the deeper parts of the cave. He quickly followed. Beyond the stone tablet, the cave was also a colorful blend of various limestones. They walked along the stone forest for a while. Suddenly, BiYao stopped and gasped.

At the same time, the Sinister Orb, which had always hung around Shirou's neck, started glowing with a strange light. Its ghastly green glow reflected off of the multicolored stone around it. Yet, the object's light was strangely soft. It was like Sinister Orb was meeting an old friend that it hadn't seen for a long time; an endless amount of thoughts and nostalgia.

Shirou looked ahead, curious at what had caused the bead PuZhi had given him to start glowing. His eyes passed BiYao and saw what had surprised the girl.

In front of the two, there was a smooth stone wall. On either end of the wall, there was a tunnel leading to an unknown place. In the center, before the wall, there was a bluestone platform with a skeleton peacefully sitting on it.

The Sinister Orb around Shirou's chest glowed a gentle green light to that skeleton.

BiYao was in front of him. She didn't notice Shirou's strange expression or the glow of the bead around his neck. She quickly calmed down from her surprise.

She was supposed to be an evil heretic after all; how could she fear a single skeleton? She stepped forward, looked at it carefully, but didn't find anything surprising. She turned and smiled at Shirou: "Maybe this is the world-changing Elder HeiXin from eight-hundred years ago!"

Shirou had no positive feeling towards the man. He had heard of all the terrible things that the Mo elder had done when he roamed the land. He frowned and said: "I can't say that I know what he looked like. That being said, shouldn't we hurry and look for a way out?"

BiYao peered at him. She curled her lips and said: "Go find it yourself!"

Shirou raised a brow in surprise. He let out an exasperated sigh; what a capricious woman. Nevertheless, he turned and entered the left tunnel.

After a few steps, he wondered why he ran out of patience so quickly. With just a mention of the elder's name, he had already lost his temper. BiYao was probably laughing at him with her eyes.

But thinking was just thinking after all. Since he had taken that step into the tunnel, it was now impossible to return. After several steps, he didn't hear anything behind him. It appeared that BiYao didn't follow him. Shirou questioned his disappointment, but then he shook his head to get rid of such thoughts. He pulled himself together and carefully walked deeper into the tunnel.

The tunnel was made of the same multicolored limestones. It was no different from the rest of them; only darker and more ghostly. It was almost completely dark deeper in; Sinister Orb's glow helped him. The road was also longer than he expected; he couldn't understand how the LianXue clan was even able to begin such a great project.

After walking for a while, Shirou noticed that the tunnel ahead slowly brightened. He hurried his pace. The soft light at the end of the path was particularly clear; like a gentle hand, it tempted him.

Shirou took a deep breath and stepped into the light.

* * *

BiYao watched Shirou's figure disappear into the tunnel. She startled and her face darkened. Her father was an influential person and held a high position within the Mo factions. Since she was young, she was always treated like a princess; no one dared to disobey her.

But now, in such a hopeless situation, she met a young, partial man from the noble factions. Though he was mostly well-tempered and accepting, she couldn't help but remember their initial encounters. He still unconsciously harbored an intrinsic distrust of the Mo. There was no way that she wouldn't be mad in the face of such predilections.

She hated anyone who tried to assert moral dominance.

However, BiYao was not privy to Shirou's thoughts. Her heart was simply unhappy that he was not following her. Both of them were in a hopeless situation and yet he could still be so defiant. BiYao didn't need to force herself to follow after him; it was an impossible request.

Thus, she didn't ponder this anymore. BiYao turned and walked into the tunnel on the right-hand side.

Just after a couple of steps, BiYao felt as if this road was not all that much different from the other one. However, the luminescent things on the side walls were far less abundant and caused the tunnel to be darker.

Fortunately, the tunnel wasn't long. BiYao reached the end of the path and stepped into a stone chamber.

It was a medium-sized space. On one side, there were a lot of shelves. On the other side, there was a pile of junk. Most of the things in that pile were weapons like swords, spears, and maces; however, they were all broken. There was also an axe that laid on the top of the pile. It was large and completely rusted over. It seemed intact and fine aside from that. Seemed the entire thing was made from steel.

However, BiYao had no interest for anything in that pile of junk; she walked towards the shelves. After a quick look, excitement appeared on her face, but it quickly turned into disappointment.

There were tags denoting the contents for each of the cases on the shelves. Even though some of the characters had already turned blurry and were barely readable, it was hard to contain her excitement as she read over the ones that were legible. The tags said that the contents were things like: "Five Mountains Halberd", "Meridian Pyre", "Manslayer" and other such things.

BiYao grew up as a Mo. Her father was a genius whose knowledge spans from all periods and eras. Thus, she knew that these were the names powerful and high-quality Mo Espers. So, why was she not happy? Unfortunately, there were only tags on the shelves; no items. It left her feeling cheated and disappointed.

She sighed, but she still retained some hope and continued to look through the shelves; they were all empty. But perhaps the heavens wouldn't disappoint one who kept their hopes. She kept searching until she found a small steel box at the very last case. There was no label on the shelf, so she had no idea what the box contained.

Nevertheless, BiYao was delighted. She carefully picked up the box; it was quite heavy. She shook it softly but she couldn't hear a sound come out.

She considered the box for a moment and put it on the ground. She took a deep breath and took some precautionary measures. With a wave of her hand, a white light appeared in the stone chamber. Heart Lotus appeared in the air and let out a faint fragrance.

BiYao turned her right hand over. That little flower that was standing in mid-air brightened and hovered above the steel box. Soon, the white light covered the entire container.

After that, she carefully opened the small box. As her hand touched the cover, she could feel that the container wasn't locked. She frowned; the caution in her eyes increased. She gritted her teeth and opened the box with determination.

She heard a soft 'ka' sound. Before she could get a glimpse of what was inside, a black gas rushed out.

BiYao fell back like she suffered an electric shock. The white flower immediately flew down and covered the steel box. The noxious, black gas was captured by the white light. It couldn't escape Heart Lotus even after several attempts. After a while, the black gas shrunk and the pure white flower turned black. It had absorbed the gas.

She waited until the black gas was completely gone before walking back. BiYao looked at her flower Esper. Her father had put quite a lot of effort into crafting this Heart Lotus for her. Now the jade white petals had turned into a dark purple; a bit sinister and foul.

BiYao quietly said, "Ancient Corpse Poison! That Elder HeiXin really has no heart to possess such a thing!"

She cursed the Mo Elder HeiXin as she peered into the steel box.

It was simple inside. There was only a single thing inside of the small steel box: A small, golden bell.

BiYao blinked in surprise. She didn't expect a nefarious thing such as Ancient Corpse Poison was used to only protect such a small bell. She couldn't find anything strange with the object. She pondered for a while before slowly picking up the small bell.

"Ding."

A clear ring; a ring though her heart. The soft sound echoed in the stone chamber that had been quiet for eight-hundred years.

BiYao held up the bell; it was quite exquisitely detailed. A thin steel line was tied to the bell. With a slight movement, the clapper softly hit the side and issued another clear ringing sound.

"Ding…ding…"

BiYao's nature was very pleased with it. The disappointment from earlier was lightened. After another careful examination, there was nothing strange about it. It was a skillfully made, normal bell.

But Elder HeiXin had kept this thing carefully and secretly; the bell must have some additional feature. She would ask her father when she got the chance.

BiYao's heart settled. She was more and more pleased by the little bell. She tied it to her waist. As she turned, the bell let out a series of clear rings. It was very pleasant. BiYao was delighted and nodded.

After that, she carefully checked the entire stone chamber again, but there was nothing. She even checked the pile of junk. There was nothing more worth looking at; she still had to find a way out.

After she was finished with her search, BiYao slowly rose up. It was time to check on that silly boy's situation.

But before she left the chamber, she turned her head and looked one last time. The room was still messy; the pile of trash was in chaos after being subjected to her thorough search. All kinds of broken weapons laid on the ground; the large axe was thrown to the corner.

Then, she left the stone chamber.

The tunnel on the left-hand side that Shirou had entered was much longer than the one she had gone through. After a long walk, she finally saw some light but was unable to see the details beyond it. There was no sound of movement and she became a little worried. This place had a lot of strange and cruel things; difficult to anticipate. Is he…?

BiYao doubled her pace and entered the bright chamber. Her heart was relieved by the sight. Shirou stood inside the stone chamber, staring at a part of the wall.

Relieved, BiYao began to look around the room. This chamber was larger than the one she went to; however, it was empty; nothing here. But on the stone wall, there was some writing densely carved into the wall. Shirou was reading it with his eyebrows frowned together.

Noticing his expression, BiYao frowned and went to go take a look at it. Her face lit up with delight. On the beginning of the carved writing, there were two large characters.

TianShu!

"TianShu, this is TianShu!" BiYao couldn't help but cheer.

Shirou startled and noticed that BiYao had arrived next to him. However, his focus was on her words: "TianShu? You know what this is?"

BiYao glared at him: "How wouldn't I know? This TianShu is the manifesto of our Holy faction. Ever since the beginning, all of the Holy faction's disciples' cultivations were all derived from TianShu."

Shirou was shocked and confused. He stared at the carved writing on the wall. After a while, he said quietly: "No way. Impossible!"

BiYao's face darkened: "This is the Holy faction's manifesto. It is our secret. Didn't you say that we are evil heretics? Why are you looking at it?"

But Shirou didn't hear her words. For him, there was on the writing on the wall.

_TianShu – Volume One_

_…_

_Heaven has no judgement; principle has no name._

_ So, everything that is within the world, is watched by the world_

_ So, there is no good or bad_

_ So, the world is always here, cannot impose_

_ So, objects cannot last, then they cannot fulfill desire!_

_ …_

BiYao snorted. She wanted to rage. However, after a moment of thought, she didn't end up saying anything. Then, she turned to the wall and began to read the scripture. After just a few sentences, she already felt her brain becoming dizzy. She couldn't help but admire how Shirou was able to read these boring writings.

When she looked at Shirou though, she was surprised to find his face filled with pain and confusion. He was trembling with an indescribable, strange feeling.

No one in the world could match Shirou's excitement right now. This Mo manifesto, TianShu's, summary; every word pierced into his heart deeply like a knife. The shock it gave him was a hundred times greater than the moment he discovered QingYun's Dao incantation and PuZhi's Fu, Brahman Wisdom's, incantations were completely opposite.

From these writings, he discovered what the different Dao and Fu techniques had in common. This surprise was still acceptable. But, as he read on, his face was getting paler and paler. He had discovered a large secret from TianShu.

Mo magic was cruel and awkward, but it was still derived from TianShu. Dao required the cultivator to harness the power of nature; Fu focused on understanding the self. In Mo TianShu, there were both Dao and Fu ideas.

Other people like BiYao wouldn't have thought much about it. They will have just thought that it was a divine art left behind by their ancestors. But to Shirou, who knew both Dao and Fu cultivation, this discovery was terrifying.

A thought was harassing him.

Which one was right?

That was not the end of his woes. He thought back to what he thought to be his personal magic. He could take his own internal energy and project it ontto nature. It was a violation of both Dao and Fu principles. Magecraft simply had no solid footing in either of those two branches. However, it seemed to be connected to Mo practices.

It was very concerning.

Shirou continued to read on. His face was pale but he was excited; there was a strange burning curiosity and desire in his mind. He felt that there was an important secret laid before him, but he couldn't touch it, couldn't see it. It was telling him to run to that destination.

But in his heart, there was also fear. Should he do that?

BiYao looked at Shirou for a while. He was staring at the wall with a strange face. It seemed like completely forgot that she was standing next to him. A fiery rage entered her heart for no reason. She snorted, but Shirou ignored it. He didn't react.

BiYao curled her lips. She was very angry but didn't know why. She turned around and left while stamping her feet on the ground loudly. Sadly, that silly boy still didn't notice.

She left the stone chamber angrily and returned to the limestone cave. She sulked at the skeleton. It used to be nothing, but that brat was now annoying. The more she thought about it, the angrier she felt. Then, she looked at her Heart Lotus - which used to be pearly white – that was black all over. She immediately directed all of her attention towards the skeleton of Elder HeiXin.

BiYao pointed at the skeleton: "You damn old man. You've been dead for eight-hundred years and you still find a way to annoy me; caused my jade flower to become… become…"

She couldn't continue; her anger increased. Without saying much else, she waved her arm. Heart Lotus circled the skeleton a few times and then returned. After a moment, there were the sharp sounds of breaking bones. Within a few seconds, the skeleton had fallen apart.

Afterwards, BiYao's anger had settled. Though, she also felt regret; didn't know where such anger came from. When she turned around, she was surprised. There were a few lines of writing on the wall that the skeleton covered. She quickly stepped forth and looked. There were four lines written on the wall.

_Bell swallows, flower withers_

_ Figure turns thin, white like frost._

_ Deep love is pain, life is pain_

_ Infatuation results in only heartless pain._

BiYao startled and then read it closely again. The writing of the four lines was very meticulous; different from TianShu in the stone chamber. It appeared to be the work of someone else.

The lines seemed to be a bitter word from a lovestruck woman. It was strange that such a thing appeared in Mo's sacred ground, DiXue Cave.

She thought about it for a long time, but couldn't find an answer. She shook her head and gave up. When she turned around, she was surprised to see that Shirou had already come out of the stone chamber. He was silently standing behind her. His expression was strange. It was grave, surprised but also perplexed. He had a tight frown.

BiYao was surprised let out a scream, "Ah." She stepped back and the delicate bell softly shook at her waist. It let out a clear and pleasant sound; echoing through the cave.

Shirou heard the bell and seemed to wake from the trance he was in. His mind was more relaxed, but it gave way to puzzlement.

He had seen BiYao angrily walk out of the stone chamber and followed her after a while. He was pondering the text he had read and all of the implications it had caused. He must have walked out of here, lost in thought.

Now, he saw the crushed skeleton. The Sinister Orb glowed with a soft green light; feeling sorry for an old friend.

Shirou didn't know why, but looking at the skeleton, there was a pain and sadness in his heart. Even though he knew that the person who died here must've been an important person of the Mo LianXue clan – probably Elder HeiXin like BiYao said – it was still painful to see the dead treated that way.

He had only respect for the dead after Grasstemple.

Sinister Orb dimmed and returned to dull purple. Shirou was still looking at the skeleton. Then, under BiYao's watch, he slowly walked to it.

BiYao snorted and stood before him. She smiled coldly: "Although I don't like that black-hearted old man and we're from different clans, we are still both Holy faction disciples. We've all made an oath before Nether Mother and Heavenly Father. If you want to do anything impolite to his dead body, I will not allow it."

Shirou deadpanned at her and pointed towards the remains: "He's crushed into pieces. I think you've done more than I ever could have."

BiYao blushed greatly, but she still did not step back. She said determinedly: "I will repent to Mother and Father, but I will never let you do anything to him!"

Shirou looked at her and sighed: "I have no intent to."

BiYao startled and saw that he was calm; no sign of hatred. She felt that this QingYun disciple was very different compared to other people from the noble faction who claimed to be paragons of justice and virtue. Seeing her hesitation, Shirou walked past her. She paused for a moment and then turned to look at him.

Shirou walked in front of what remained of the skeleton. Due to the heavy hit from BiYao, the bones from chest down had all fallen apart; only the skull remained intact. It landed atop the rest of the bone fragments. The hollow eyes were staring at him. Regardless, he drew the scattered bones into a pile.

Shirou sighed, he felt that he had done a good deed; even if it was the hated Elder HeiXin.

As he was about to stand up, he noticed that the place where the skeleton was sitting had some writing. It was only visible because he moved some bones. He let out a "huh?"

BiYao was coldly watching Shirou do some weird things. She suddenly heard him discover something. Curious, she went over to the bluestone slab to take a look. There were also several lines written there.

_A bitter heart is hard to return_

_ Regret is hard to endure_

_ Golden bell cleanses blood and mistakes_

_ A lifetime always…_

At the fourth line, the writing became powerless, especially at the character 'always.' The character was illegible, almost unreadable. In the end, it trailed off into a line and then stopped. It appeared that the person had collapsed and was no longer able to continue.

In the cave, Shirou and BiYao were silent. They could feel that there was a sad story being told between the two writings: a lady with a broken heart and a dying man's regret.

Shirou was lost in thought. Even though he was rather dense when it came to romance, he could feel a little sorrow after seeing these writings from hundreds of years ago.

On the other hand, BiYao frowned tightly. Her eyes stared at the lines and her mouth mumbled: "Golden bell cleanses blood and mistakes… golden bell? Ah! Right, JingLing!"

The girl thought of something and cheered. Shirou was curious; he asked: "What golden bell?"

BiYao was excited and filled with joy: "It's Lady JingLing! You don't know?"

Shirou shook his head with confusion. BiYao glared at him but was happy to explain: "Lady JingLing was an important figure to our Holy faction a thousand years ago. She was extremely intelligent, highly cultivated and fully understood TianShu. She founded the HeHuan by herself. She is the top female figure in our faction to this day!"

Shirou listened to her explanation. According to her, it seemed liked Lady JingLing was a very powerful person a thousand years ago in Mo. BiYao was really enamored by that figure.

BiYao was happily talking to herself: "Can't believe that Lady JingLing loved that damn Elder HeiXin. Hmph, that black-hearted old man must've betrayed her. Heartless man; should be killed by thunder! Death is the best for him!"

Shirou frowned. He didn't know why he felt something akin to sympathy for Elder HeiXin. The Mo elder was one of the worst people he had ever heard of; indiscriminately killed a lot of people. Yet, for some reason, hearing BiYao happily rant made him frown.

BiYao stared at Shirou's face strangely. Then, she suddenly thought of something and forgot about him. She picked up the golden bell tied to her wait. She was very excited. She laughed loudly: "Ah! This must be Lady JingLing's HeHuan Bell!"

Then, she quickly turned the golden bell around and looked inside. There were three small characters engraved: HeHuan Bell.

Shirou saw that BiYao was so happy that she might have died of giddiness. It seemed that she had obtained a powerful Esper by chance. He sighed; felt as if he needed to remind her of their situation: "Did you find an exit?"

There was only the little bell in her eyes still. She casually answered: "Nope!"

Shirou closed his eyes, turned his head away, and lightly said: "Then you're going to die in this cave with that golden bell."

That broke BiYao out of her giddiness. She now realized that the most important thing was to look for an exit. She hurriedly asked: "You find it?"

Shirou shook his head silently. They looked at each other. A solemn expression replaced BiYao's smile: "Then we should find it first!"

With death in front of them, Shirou quietly nodded. They searched the tunnels and caves together; closely examined each and every wall. Unfortunately, due to BiYao's objections, he wasn't able to examine the two statues of the Mo gods - Nether Mother and Heavenly Father.

The two regrouped in front of the crushed skeleton and saw each other's depressed countenance. Their faces dimmed.

BiYao said sadly: "Are we going to die in here?"

Shirou looked up at the cave wall and sighed. BiYao was also silent. Suddenly, the shadow of death engulfed the two young lives.

After a long while, it was still silent; the two have yet to say something. Shirou suddenly stood up and walked away. BiYao was surprised and said, "Where are you going?"

Shirou looked behind him at the girl's depressed face: "I'm going to search one more time. There must be a way out. We are not going to die in here!"

In his heart, he had yet to fulfill his goal: become a hero of justice. This childish notion had last with him for all seventeen years of his life. Recently, he began to truly question his view on justice, but, regardless, he had yet to become a hero all the same.

He hadn't saved a single person yet. He couldn't smile the same way.

Additionally, it would be rather bad to die right now. Shirou could accept if he died on the battlefield for his ideals; however, this was just pointless. His death would cause nothing but grief and sorrow. He briefly thought back to LingEr. Would she make a grave for him at Bamboo Peak? She said that she would rather die than see his grave; he hoped that she didn't mean that literally.

BiYao didn't do anything; continued to sit on the platform. She watched Shirou continue to search the cave with his strong desire to live.

One time.

Two times.

Three times.

Four times.

BiYao couldn't remember how many times Shirou had gone through the stone chambers and caves. Each time, he returned as empty-handed as the previous attempt. Yet, he still didn't give up. Maybe it was his stubborn nature, or maybe it was his strong desire to live. He kept continuing to search for a way out.

Eventually, she could no longer hear the echoes of his footsteps. It had been a while now. Alarmed, she hurried to the last room that she saw him enter. It was the stone chamber that housed the two Mo gods.

Shirou had collapsed near the statue of Heavenly Father.

BiYao gazed at him and hesitated for a moment. She walked over to him and turned his body over. It seemed nothing serious; he was exhausted, hungry and thirsty, so he fainted. She gave a sigh of relief.

Then she startled and asked her heart: "Why do I feel relief? He is fine; why do I need to sigh?"

That idea flashed through her mind like lightning.

Looking at the unconscious boy again, she let out another sigh; this one of exasperation. BiYao reached into her dress and pulled out a few pills. Each one was yellow and about the size of a fingertip. She poured out three pills and returned the vial to her dress. Miraculously, they hadn't been destroyed by Abyssal Viper.

She opened Shirou's mouth and the medicine began to dissolve. She massaged his throat, encouraging his body to swallow. Relief washed over her face as the medicine entered his body.

"You better thank me, dummy. This is the second time I'm taking care of you. These are the yellow pills my Dad bought. They're supposed to be from your QingYun; very expensive and rare. I don't know how he got them; must've been hard."

BiYao chuckled. She seemed more relaxed in the one-sided conversation.

"The princess is playing nurse… I never would have thought I'd do this."

Then, she remembered what her Aunt You had told her before they were trapped in this cave.

She looked at the boy's chest. She could see two oddly shaped lumps beneath his tattered and torn robe. Her face flushed a bit in embarrassment; she had never been this close to a man before. Regardless, she ignored her embarrassment and unfolded the top of Shirou's robe; exposing his chest, Celestial Tear and Sinister Orb to the girl.

BiYao's face turned redder. The boy's body was quite nice. However, she quickly focused her attention on the two objects hanging around his neck. The small tear like object was glowing a soft jade green. The purple bead was dim and seemed inert.

She reached out to grab that bead; Aunt You said it had a remarkable similarity with the Sinister Orb. As she was about to close her hand around it, she felt that something was wrong. Immediately, she retracted her hand; glad that she did.

The purple bead now looked like a sea urchin - if that sea urchin had small blades for pins. Her eyes widened in shock and horror; Sinister Orb was not supposed to do that. At least she knew that the strange bead around Shirou's neck wasn't the legendary Mo Esper. She would ask her father what this mysterious item was.

Then, she had another terrible feeling. She had taken such painful measures to ensure that Shirou lived. Did she just kill him with his own Esper? She carefully reached towards Shirou's chest again; cautious around the purple bead. However, Sinister Orb seemed to be able to sense her intention and retracted the blades from its form.

BiYao frowned, but she slowly picked up the object only to find that it was harder to remove than she thought. She gave the orb a yank and ripped it off of the boy's body. She made sure that the red string was still intact. What she saw surprised her.

On the Sinister Orb, the area that made direct contact with Shirou's skin was covered with small blades. It was if the bead had dug steel roots into him. Shocked, BiYao turned to Shirou to gauge the damage. Unfortunately, she was even more confused by the sight.

In place of healthy skin, there was a mesh of blades.

Startled, BiYao dropped Sinister Orb. The Esper seemed to roll back perfectly to where it had been. It began to glow a dim green.

The Sinister Orb was like a parasite. For close to eight years now, it had continually fed upon Shirou's magic and life-energy. It was nothing threatening to the boy; cultivation would prevent him from dying anytime sooner than he naturally would have. However, Sinister Orb had built quite the reservoir of magical power.

In the past, Sinister Orb had only responded to its owner's demands for additional magical power. It gladly supplied some of Shirou's prana back to him; like paying rent. However, its host had been severely injured by recent events. It had grown content and satisfied with the status quo; never in its long past has the Sinister Orb feasted on such exquisite prana or life-energy.

Even though the evil intentions had been removed; the item's core was still the same.

Thus, it wouldn't let its owner died. If Shirou died, then that meant that it would never taste his delicious prana or life-energy again. Thus, the orb had been painstakingly giving up its reserves that it had been accumulating for the last seven and some years. It was slow but effective. However, its owner liked to keep on getting hit. It made the recovery job much harder for the ancient Esper.

However, BiYao knew none of this. She ignored the two glowing objects. That piece of jade also sparked her curiosity, but, after what happened with the purple bead, she didn't want to risk anything again. She tried to tidy up his robe as best as possible and covered his chest.

Instead, she now looked over Shirou's body and face. That young man's face seemed so languish and weak due to injury and hunger. His lips were cracked from dryness.

BiYao softly put him down and gazed at him for a moment. She began to talk again: "Since we are meant to die here together, I should help you more. I don't want to be alone so soon; it is better to have someone with me."

Thus, the princess played both nurse and servant.

She went outside and back through the cave's entrance to take some water from the pond. Then, she took out some of her food and tried to feed Shirou.

Perhaps it was because Shirou was unconscious; he couldn't eat any food. He was only able to drink some of the water BiYao had gathered. He still hadn't woken up.

After a day's worth of work, BiYao was also tired. Shirou's situation seemed fine. The yellow pills that she gave him would help mend his injuries and he wasn't going to die of hunger after one day. She closed her eyes, satisfied, and fell asleep.

* * *

After a few hours of rest, BiYao woke up. Her first matter of business was to look over Shirou. The red-haired boy was peaceful laying there; not moving. He was sleeping. She was relieved; couldn't help but quietly scold: "Why are you sleeping like a dead pig?"

As she spoke, she smiled. It seemed that from just watching this young man her mood would brighten. She briefly forgot about the encroaching death surrounding the near future.

She suddenly realized that, although Shirou was sleep, his face was flushed red. It wasn't right. She quickly reached out her and checked. His forehead was burning hot. She was surprised; did not expect Shirou to have a high fever at this critical moment.

Normally, cultivators had strong bodies and rarely got ill for hundreds of years. Shirou, of course, was no exception to this trait. His magic and cultivations allowed him to enjoy a healthy body. However, he had been heavily injured for the past few days; mentally and physically exhausted. His body was damaged badly. In the end, he used up all of his strength to search for an exit out of DiXue Cave. He didn't care about his own condition. After he passed out, he had a high fever. Sinister Orb couldn't help him that much.

The sickness was not light. After a long time, his fever still hadn't gotten lower – in the cave, BiYao didn't know how many days had passed. BiYao couldn't do anything about it; yellow pills were meant to mend the body, not fight infection or other things. She could only help get Shirou some water to lower his body's temperature, but it was useless.

Later, Shirou's fever had not abated; he had begun to mutter random things. BiYao was extremely worried and anxious. She thought that she would need to wait for death in the cave, silent and alone; she was terrified. So, when Shirou had said anything, even a gasp, it was heavenly compared to the horrible silence prior.

No matter what BiYao tried, she could only bring him some water. In the cave, there was no doctor or medicines How else could she help? She had even given him the rest of the yellow pills, hoping that Shirou's body would recover faster to fight off the sickness. Yet, Shirou was getting worse day by day. His random mutterings were becoming more frequent.

That day, BiYao stayed anxiously next to Shirou's unconscious body. He suddenly turned over and curled up and cried, "Ghost, ghost, ghost…" Then, he was suddenly angry: "You killed my parents; all of the villagers. Savage!"

BiYao was surprised but quickly held him down. She kept repeating: "No, no! There's no ghost here!"

Perhaps her words worked; Shirou calmed down. The fear on his face was also settled; however, it changed to a sad expression.

His eyes were still closed, said quietly: "LingEr, please, no… I'm too late; not again…"

BiYao startled and sorrow passed through her heart. However, some courage came from within her. She gently said: "Never! Your LingEr is here."

A smile immediately appeared on Shirou's face; it was like that was his happiest moment. His mouth mumbled: "I'm glad…"

BiYao saw some peace settle on his suffering face; however, there was a pain that sliced through her heart.

This girl who he cares so much about; this LingEr that he still remembers even when unconscious; what was she like?

She remembered that day in the Forsaken Abyss. There was a female QingYun disciple with a blue sword that Shirou tried very hard to protect. Could that be her? Was that LingEr?

BiYao frowned. She was able to remember that that lady had an extremely beautiful face. Saying that she would be able to enchant the entire country was not too far-fetched. No wonder why Shirou would fall for her! However, no matter how smart BiYao was, she wouldn't be able to know that the one Shirou muttered about in his sleep was the vibrant girl from Bamboo Peak.

She definitely wouldn't be able to identify the second line. Perhaps it was regret from a previous life.

For the following few days, BiYao always stayed next to Shirou. She learned more about the boy from his random sleep talk. She found out that he was born in a place called Grasstemple Village; she found out about that village's tragic massacre; she also found out that this LingEr he fondly remembered was his _shijie_ at Bamboo Peak. However, she was still unsure who that _shijie_ with the blue sword was.

Yet, from these few days of taking care of Shirou, BiYao began to feel something strange for that young man. Every day she gazed at his pained face. It caused her heart to turn, but it was the only way to pass the time.

She often stared at him like that for a long, long time. She had never even thought about the Mo manifesto, TianShu, in the chamber next to them.

Instead, when Shirou settled, she would sometimes slowly walk to the writing left by Lady JingLing. She gazed at the carved characters for a moment. She softly said: "Lady JingLing, you left a warning saying that all of the men in this world are heartless. But can't you see? This Shirou is very deeply in love!"

But there was no one who could answer her in this dark and empty cave. When she turned, the little golden bell at her waist let out a clear, pleasant ring. In this cave, it softly echoed; like the bell was saying something.

It was like there was a pair of gentle eyes and a lingering soul; watching them, surrounding them in their embrace.

* * *

After this series of sleepy mutterings, the continuously high fever slightly lowered. Perhaps it was because Shirou's body regained its strength, or maybe BiYao's comforting words had some effect; it was ultimately unknown. Shirou also had slowly regained his consciousness, but, because his sickness wasn't light, he was still laying down and resting.

His mind was also very slow. It was as if it had been shocked by something.

That day, BiYao had nothing to do and she walked around in the cave. In the end, she still ended up in front of Lady JingLing's writing. After reading it again, she sighed.

Shirou sat on the side and asked: "What are you sighing for?"

BiYao snorted: "I'm sighing for Lady JingLing. Even with her intellect and beauty, she was still betrayed by a terrible man; suffered for her entire life. It really wasn't worth it."

Shirou couldn't find any words to reply.

BiYao read through the writing again; she suddenly issued a 'huh?' She found something strange. The last character on the last line had a portion of it that was deeply sunk it; slightly different than the other characters. She rolled her eyes. Immediately, she realized something and picked up the HeHuan Bell from her waist to verify her suspicions. The size matched the groove; she let out a cheer.

Shirou asked curiously from behind her: "What is it?"

BiYao turned around and smiled: "A potential way out!"

Shirou was surprised and his eyes widened. He happily said, "Really?"

BiYao inserted the bell into the groove; there was no reaction. She turned the object left and right. After a moment, a hiss was issued by the stone wall; it was shaking. BiYao was surprised and took out the golden bell; took a few steps back. After a boom, the smooth layer of stone fell off and showed an inner layer. It had writing carved into it like the room that housed TianShu.

Shirou was excited, but his face dimmed after taking a look at the stone wall. Seems like the mechanism was for hiding more of Lady JingLing's writing. Even though he was curious about what it said, it was still not an exit. He couldn't help but be disappointed.

But BiYao was staring at the writing on the wall. This was left by Lady Jingling and secured so secretly. It had to be something unusual. After a long while, she was neither happy nor sad; instead, she had a look of surprise on her face. She quietly said: "So this is that curse: Infatuation."

Shirou couldn't contain his curiosity; he took a look at it. The first few sentences were.

_Spirits of Hell, Deities of Heaven_

_ Use my body, as a sacrifice_

_ For eternity I fall into darkness_

_ Because of love, I cannot regret_

…

He immediately concluded that these words were for some sort of Mo curse. BiYao was quite happy on the other hand. He asked: "Are there any hints for the exit in it?"

BiYao startled: "No."

"Then why are you so fixated on it?"

BiYao was silent. After a while, she began to speak: "Infatuation's incantation was passed down in our Holy faction since ancient times. However, did you know that no one has ever used it?"

Shirou frowned but was still curious: "What?"

BiYao sighed: "The incantation was invented by an intelligent female master, but it could only be practiced by women. It requires everything that she is: blood, soul, and essence. When it's activated, nothing will remain of the caster. Her soul will be destroyed and her body disintegrated…"

Her voice began to trail off. Shirou was still frowning; he sighed and said: "What a terrible spell. Infatuation: a horrible name for suicide."

BiYao's face changed, but then she lowered her head. She quietly said: "Yeah, you're right. That is why even Lady JingLing didn't use it in the end."

* * *

Several days passed and the two were still trapped in the cave. Shirou went to go read TianShu to pass the time; BiYao often joined him, but often just stared at the writing on the wall.

Within TianShu's first volume, there wasn't any actual cultivation practice. The texts were deep and meaningful statements and could be called the summary of the entire work. However, Shirou understood both Dao and Fu incantations and had personal experience with his own magecraft; he managed to understand these writings.

However, he could only understand it; he couldn't extrapolate the summary into further practices. TianShu stated that Dao and Fu could combine together at the final stage, however, Shirou still couldn't get what it meant by it. Was it simply saying that he could cast Pure Essence and Brahman Wisdom at the same time?

He doubted it; if a single person knew both sects, they would naturally try to use them simultaneously. There must have been a greater meaning in the words.

Even though he knew that there was little chance of survival, there was still a bit of curiosity in his heart. Shirou decided to test what he had interpreted and tried to channel both incantations at once. Brahman Wisdom focused on understanding the self and Pure Essence taught the user how to project their energy into nature.

Thus, he justified that TianShu's final stage must have been a combination of the two; projecting one's self onto the natural world.

However, doing such a thing was not easy for the boy. He didn't think that such a trivial-sounding task would be so difficult. After attempting this for several moments, it felt like his blood began to boil and his body began to break; he was forced to stop. During this sequence, he couldn't help but think of that phrase from days before.

_This body is made of swords._

When he thought about that curious phrase, his body felt stronger and he was able to handle both cultivations to a higher degree. Perhaps that was something that he intrinsically knew about himself. An incantation of sorts; an aria. Regardless, he would have to learn additional lines and also practice TianShu some more before he saw results.

However, there was a more pressing concern than Shirou's curiosity for the two people trapped in DiXue cave.

They were out of food.

Though they were both cultivators and were capable of superhuman feats, they still had mortal bodies. Legends said that elder cultivators could go without food or water for months at a time, however, no one has even verified that. After entering this cave, Shirou realized that he had already lost all of his food. Fortunately, there was at least a clean source of water in the cave.

Only BiYao had food, but how was that going to be enough? Even though they tried their best to save it, they soon finished all of it.

Then, two days after this realization, Shirou and BiYao found themselves staring blankly at the empty food bag.

"Alas!" BiYao sat on the bluestone step; next to her was that crushed skeleton. However, she didn't seem to be uncomfortable or care all that much. Her face was quite depressed.

Shirou's illness had recovered quickly and his fever was almost gone. His body was still feeling a bit weak, which could also be attributed to hunger and stress, but he was fine other than that. He heard BiYao sigh and turned around to look at the Mo lady.

In his eyes, there was a girl in a watery green dress sitting on a black platform. Her feet were swinging in the air; the HeHuan bell around her waist was ringing softly. She looked like a normal girl.

However, BiYao seemed much sadder and more depressed than when Shirou had first met her. She still cared greatly for her appearance; every day she would go down to that small water panel and wash herself. She still looked neat and clean. But after being trapped for several days, she was clearly skinnier. This supposed cruel and vicious heretic girl had given him half of her food. He was still trying to understand why.

Shirou was in his own world; his thoughts consuming him. He didn't notice that BiYao had turned to look at him. She saw Shirou staring at her with blank eyes; blushed and scolded: "What are you looking at?"

Shirou blinked and quickly turned his head away: "It's nothing."

BiYao stood up and walked to him. She didn't react as fiercely as she thought. After a long time, she sighed: "We are stuck in this cave; not far away from death. You don't need to care so much."

Shirou startled and turned back to BiYao. On her thin but beautiful face, there was a helpless smile. He couldn't help but say: "When I was sick, you took care of me. But you also gave me most of your food. If you still had it, you could live for a few days longer. Maybe you could…"

"Maybe what?" BiYao suddenly stopped him; cut him off.

Shirou shook his head: "Maybe you could be saved."

BiYao smiled forlornly: "I don't want to die, but I also don't want to die in a lonely cave. Facing a skeleton, a decaying corpse, and waiting for death, I would probably go insane before anyone could rescue me."

Shirou couldn't help but shiver at the way BiYao described the situation.

BiYao looked at him and lightly said: "You scared to die too?"

Shirou smiled sadly: "Not as much as you might think."

BiYao's smile turned very gentle. She softly said, "Promise me one thing, okay?"

Shirou frowned: "What is it?"

The girl's face was sad again: "We've finished all of our food. There is nothing to eat; only water to drink. Within seven days, we are going to starve to death."

Shirou was silent.

BiYao was calm, but the next thing made Shirou pale: "After a few days; if you see me unable to keep going; kill me first."

Shirou's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He stared at the girl but couldn't find his voice. He didn't expect BiYao to say such awkward and surprising words so calmly.

"After I die, my body will still be here. If you want to survive, then eat my flesh; you'll probably be able to live for a short period of time."

Shirou almost fell to the floor.

After a long while, he pulled himself back together from the shock. He looked at BiYao's eyes; they were calm and accepting. His heart felt as if it had frosted over and he stepped back: "You… How could you say such a thing? Surely you can't mean such a thing; I won't allow it!"

BiYao looked at him; her expression was serene and gentle. However, in Shirou's eyes, her forlorn eyes were more deadly than all of the poisons in the world.

BiYao lowered her head. Her voice was calm and even: "Don't you want to go back to QingYun's Bamboo Peak to see your LingEr _shijie_? There are several of your allies in this Cave of Fangs; they must be searching for you. If you can live longer, they're more likely to find you, no?"

However, Shirou didn't care about BiYao's tone nor did he even notice that the Mo girl knew LingEr. He only said angrily: "You ask me to kill the person who has risked her own life to save me? Then, you ask me to cannibalize that same girl? Do you not also have you wish to see? You think that no one is searching for you? You must be insane! You, you…"

He was getting angrily, but his tongue was tied. He couldn't form words anymore and only repeated 'you, you, you' for a long time. However, BiYao had predicted his reaction, so she wasn't angry nor did she ridicule him. She only watched as Shirou angrily shouted and waited for him to regain his breath.

She slowly said: "Eat me or not, it is your choice. However, you must kill me first! That is not negotiable!"

"Again." Shirou's temperance had been lost with the chaotic thoughts: "Do you think that I would ever make that kind of deal with you? You gave me food; helped me recover from sickness. I can repay you with my body. If you want to make me do this, then forget it!"

BiYao shook her head: "No, I'm scared."

Shirou's anger suddenly abated at the girl's admission. "Eh? What did you say?"

At this juncture, BiYao seemed to have a change of heart. It was like she had fallen into some kind of trance. There was a terror on her face that Shirou had never seen before. Then, she shook her head; like she wanted to shake away her thoughts.

"Do you know how it feels to wait for death alone?" She said quietly. Her voice was small.

Shirou blinked at the question. She appeared to be hiding some secret. He was curious and asked: "What?"

The muscles next to BiYao's eyes twitched. At this dire time, next to the only young man with her before death, she couldn't control her feelings. Her voice was blurry and hollow: "When I was six years old, my mother bought me to Fox Mountain's LiuHu Cave to visit grandmother. But one of your noble factions attacked us. The TianYin monk, PuFang, used his Esper and destroyed the entire LiuHu Cave. He buried me, mother, and grandmother alive."

Shirou shivered. He had a bad feeling about the story. There was a chill coming from the heart; spreading throughout his body.

BiYao had completely entered the painful memory. Her eyes stared forwards without seeing; just like her eyes, her voice was calm and hollow. With the deepest pain, she began: "That time, I cried loudly from the fear and terror. I was very scared. We were trapped in a small cave, but, because there were several large stones to support it, we lived. However, grandmother's injuries were too serious; she soon died. Mother and I cried hard in the darkness and then buried her.

"We were trapped very deep in the earth. Aside from a few drops of water that dripped from the ceiling, there were only cold, hard rocks. I was really scared, but mother kept telling me: BiYao, don't be afraid. Your dad will save us."

Shirou held his breath and listened carefully. He felt an indescribable awkwardness and fear; something was about to happen.

"But nothing changed; there was only darkness. Dad didn't come. I was very scared in the dark cave. I was very hungry and kept on crying. I can still remember my mother sighing sadly next to me. She cuddled me tight and kept telling me: BiYao, don't be afraid; BiYao don't be afraid; mother will not let anything happen to you. Your dad will come to save us!"

BiYao became paler, but she continued: "But dad still didn't come and I was already starving. I kept crying to mother for food. She searched through the cave over and over again but still couldn't find anything. In the end, I was so hungry that I didn't have the strength to cry; only laying down by my mother. Suddenly, one day, mother found a piece of flesh…"

Shirou could see BiYao shiver as she said this.

"I was too hungry; didn't care about it much, so I ate it. Then, I slept comfortably. It seemed like at that moment mother smiled in the darkness. Afterwards, mother gave me a piece of flesh every once in a while. That's how I lived. But mother's voice got weaker and weaker. Until one day, when I called her, she didn't answer. After that, I was in the darkness, waiting for death along."

BiYao slowly turned and looked at Shirou. He was caught by her eyes and felt a chill.

"Do you know how it feels like to wait for death alone? Do you know the smell of the decaying corpse of your mother? Do you know the fear of living in darkness, forever?"

With each question, Shirou shivered.

BiYao was silent; Shirou didn't dare take a breath. BiYao continued: "Finally, one day, the cave entrance was becoming larger. I could hear dad calling me and mother's names. Then, I saw dad jump down in front of me.

"He didn't see me at first, but my mother. I only looked at above and forgot to look at mother when there was finally light. When I remembered about it, dad already blocked my sight; I couldn't see my mother's corpse. But I could see that dad was shocked; it was like he had turned to stone. Then, uncle QingLong, uncle BaiHu and uncle XuanWu came down. They were all shocked and rooted to the ground.

"I suddenly felt more scared; even more so than when I was waiting for death alone in the darkness. I quietly called: Dad. The three uncles lined up behind him and covered mother's dead body. I still couldn't see mother. I whispered: Dad, how is mother?"

Shirou could see it clearly. Each word BiYao said made him shiver. It was like that little girl was actually in front of him.

"Dad didn't say anything, but his face was terrifying. Although I was still young, I knew, I knew that, at that moment, he really wanted to kill me; wanted to kill his own daughter! But in the end, he didn't. He saved me; carried me away from that dark cave. Before I left, I peered from behind dad's shoulder and saw mother's dead body was already being burned by the three uncles. Only one of her arms remained. But, for some reason, that arm… that arm…"

BiYao suddenly became quiet. Shirou was surprised and looked at her. The girl was completely pale; her eyes were closed. Then she fell; seemed like she passed out. Shirou immediately caught her. She was so cold, she seemed more like a corpse than a living person.

He had just recovered from his own illness. His body was still weak; spent a lot of effort laying BiYao down on the platform. He looked at her pale face and Shirou discovered that he was actually drenched in his own sweat.

That night – Shirou didn't actually know if it was night or day, his instincts told him it was night, BiYao was unconscious. She kept crying "Mother, "Dad" and things like that related to her terrible memory. Their positions had changed. This time, it was Shirou's turn to take care of BiYao.

However, it seemed that the memory had scarred BiYao's heart deeply. When she was unconscious, she kept screaming. Shirou couldn't do anything about it no matter how hard he tried to comfort her. In the end, BiYao swung her arm and accidentally grabbed Shirou's shoulder and cuddled onto him. It was like she had something to rely on.

Then, she calmed down and quietly slept. Her hands were tightly wrapped around the clothes around Shirou's shoulder. Her nails dug deeply into Shirou's skin and caused the boy some discomfort. However, he saw BiYao's pale face scrunch up; he couldn't leave her. He simply dealt with it and let her cuddle him.

She slept peacefully.

BiYao's past was a very deep wound for her; she had buried it in her heart over the years. Stuck in a similar situation, she recalled the terrible memory and her mind was overwhelmed. Additionally, there hadn't been any food for a couple of days; her body was weakened. Therefore, she passed out.

Shirou was watching the Mo girl who was grabbing him so tightly. He smiled bitterly. Not too long ago, he was the sick person who had just come out of hell. Unexpectedly, this time it was BiYao's turn to get sick. The two collapsed one after another. It was really hard to not die here.

After a while, Shirou was getting sleepy, but he forced himself to straighten up because BiYao was still laying in his arms. Seeing her depressed and pained expression, Shirou didn't have the resolve to leave her alone.

But sitting still like this wasn't easy. Shirou sat on the platform with one leg hanging in the air while one leg was on the ground. His back was slanted but remained straight; there was nothing behind him to lie on. Just after a moment, his body was aching, especially at the place where BiYao had latched onto him. Her fingers were powerful. Even when she was sleeping, her grip remained strong.

However, Shirou was a strong person and dealt with the discomfort. A lesser person might have just jumped away already. Even with his willpower, he was still tired. Eventually, his exhaustion caught up to him. Then, he began to fall asleep despite the numbed pain and aches.

* * *

"Ah…"

Shirou woke up and stretched; he could feel his entire body was aching. He discovered that he was lying on the platform alone; BiYao was gone.

Shirou was surprised. He rose up and looked around, but he couldn't find the Mo girl. The entire cave was empty and there was no sound. A chill rose in Shirou's heart. He frowned and began to search.

He searched the stone chamber that housed TianShu and also the treasure storage room, but there was still no sign of BiYao. Shirou thought for a moment and then went outside. After a while, he saw BiYao in the stone chamber that worshiped the two Mo deities.

Before the kind looking Nether Mother and the hideous looking Heavenly Father, BiYao kneeled on the ground. Her shoulders were shaking, although she was trying to hold it, she was still letting out quiet sobs.

She was crying.

Shirou was stunned. He didn't expect the Mo girl who was always so tough and competitive would be secretly crying in front of the statues. He was rooted to the ground and didn't know what to do. This was completely out of his comfort zone!

In the end, he walked to her slowly; uncertainty in his steps. He awkwardly said: "Err, BiYao? Please, stop crying. What's wrong?"

It would have been better if he remained silent. As the girl heard his words, the sadness that she was trying so hard to bear had burst out. Her voice was raised; the sobbing became very loud. Crystal tears were running down her face.

Shirou was stunned. But he was still young; how could he understand what was going on in the girl's mind. He immediately startled; it was like he made BiYao cry. His words started to stammer: "I didn't mean to… I wasn't saying that…"

BiYao watched Shirou fuss around with her misty eyes. She shook her head, but she could no longer contain her sadness. Those tears that he had held for more than a decade had all come out.

"It was me. It was me who killed mother!" The girl who fell into the painful past wretchedly cried.

Shirou immediately shook his head. Watching her weak and lonely figure, it was like seeing his own lonely figure from many years ago. He stepped forth and said quietly, gently: "No. Your mother cared about you the most. You were still so small at that time; didn't know anything. How could you have been able to harm anyone?"

BiYao choked: "But… but dad has always hated me since then. I know that he must sincerely want me to die! He blames me for mother's death!"

Shirou said quietly: "No, don't think like that. Has he ever blamed you; did he not come to save you; for all those years, has he ever treated you badly?"

BiYao's body shook and her face became paler. From where Shirou looked at her, it was like a lone flower in the rain. The sadness was soul-touching.

She lifted her head. Shirou didn't have the courage to look at those lovely eyes behind the tears; he turned his head away.

After a long while.

"You are very kind." The girl suddenly spoke.

Shirou only smiled gently: "It's nothing." He sighed, "We're going to die in here together. If I can give you some comfort before death, it's the least that I can do."

BiYao stopped crying and wiped away the tears from her eyes: "Yeah, we are going to die together." Then she thought of something and asked Shirou. "You and I are going to die in here; does your heart have any regrets?"

Shirou was startled. Countless scenes flashed through his mind. It was like at this moment, he had relived his entire life. He quietly said: "Of course, I have regrets."

BiYao heard it and her face dimmed: "Hmph, in the Holy faction, there are many people that wish that they could die by my side."

Shirou only chuckled wryly at the girl's petulance in the face of death. He sighed and shook his head: "Maybe… maybe if you survive, then I could die with no regrets."

BiYao's face widened and a small blush entered her face. However, her expression quickly darkened: "Eh? Don't you have your LingEr to go back to?"

Shirou blinked: "Huh? You know her?"

"You talked a lot when you were sick."

Shirou's cheeks heated up a little, but he coughed: "Yeah, I'm sure that LingEr will miss me; but I have faith that she will pull herself back together. She's very strong and independent. That being said, she is also very soft and lonely. I can only hope that she can find someone to fill in the void when I'm gone…"

BiYao's face scrunched: "It sounds like you admire her."

Shirou smiled wryly: "She told me that she loves me, though, I haven't given her a proper reply yet."

Her voice was spiteful: "You're terrible, evil, horrible. Could that be your regret? Not telling your LingEr how you feel?"

Shirou shook his head: "Did I ever talk about Grasstemple in my sleep?"

BiYao recoiled in shock: "Huh? Yes, you talked about it. You were born there but there was a tragedy."

Shirou's face darkened: "Yes, it was a horrible scene. However, that is also where my regret lies.

"During the massacre, my friend, JingYu and I were rescued by someone. Out of everybody in the village, we were the only two who survived. He looked so happy that they were able to save just two people. Thinking about it now, since that day, I've only really had one wish. I never really wanted to become a hero of justice or even a hero at all. I simply wanted to save people like I had been saved; smile the same way he had that day.

"So, if you managed to escape this horrible place, then I think I can die without any regrets."

BiYao was stunned and her eyes were wide. A faint blush dusted her cheeks. "You… you idiot! How can you expect me to let you die after saying words like that!"

Shirou blinked: "Ehh?"

BiYao turned around and bowed before the two statues: "Mother goddess, may you pity the world; protect him. Father majesty, wish you could use your sky piercing power, save…"

However, her voice stopped. She laid on the ground, motionless. The chamber was silent; however, her mind was turbulent. A single beam of light shined amongst those waves; BiYao tried to catch that feeling and remember it.

She slowly lifted her head and looked carefully at the statue of Heavenly Father again and again. There was an idea that her mind shouted over and over again: "Not right, not right, this statue is missing something…"

She looked at it over and over again and held her breath. Finally, her eyes landed on that empty right hand of the statue.

She jumped up and happily called: "Genesis Axe, right, where is Genesis Axe?"

In Mo legend, Nether Mother was the spirit that watched over life. Heavenly Father was the hideous god that created the world and handled judgement. Heavenly Father held Genesis Axe, so there must've been an axe along with the statue. But the statue before her had an empty right hand.

BiYao knew that Heavenly Father was one of the greatest gods for Mo; no one would dare disrespect it. The ones who built DiXue Cave were LianXue followers; Mo followers. There must have been a reason for the axe to be missing.

BiYao turned around to Shirou with happiness on her face. She said: "If you wish to live, then hurry and come with me."

"What?" Shirou was surprised. BiYao rushed toward the room that contained all of the shelves and treasures like the wind. He came out of his shock and followed after the girl. When they arrived in the smaller room, he heard BiYao cheer. The girl was struggling to drag out a large steel axe from the pile of junk. She was having a difficult time; the axe was quite heavy.

Shirou ran over to her and helped her hold the large axe; it was really heavy. Even with the two of them working together, it was still difficult. He asked: "What are you doing?"

BiYao didn't say much: "If you want to live, then help me bring this axe to the statues."

Shirou's eyes widened: "Huh?"

BiYao didn't say anything else and began to drag the axe. Her body was weakened and, after only a few steps, she was breathing heavily. Shirou shook his head and sighed; he still went to her. Both of them, with a tremendous amount of effort, finally dragged the steel axe to the stone chamber that housed the statues.

Then BiYao said that they needed to place the thing into Heavenly Father's hand.

The axe was very large and, now that they were forced to lift it, its weight was incredibly heavy. They also haven't had any food for a long time. In the end, they finished the impossible mission and placed the axe into the god's right hand.

Then both Shirou and BiYao sat on the ground, gasping for air. However, BiYao couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes. After resting for a little bit, she returned to the statue and observed it for a while. After the large axe was added into the god's hand, it looked much more imposing. Then, she respectfully saluted to the Heavenly Father. She said: "Father majesty, please forgive this disciple's rude actions."

Then, she grabbed the large axe and shook it. Nothing happened. That large axe was placed into its hand by the two of them. If there was a mechanism, it should have activated. Shirou sat on the ground and shook his head as he watched BiYao work.

BiYao frowned and murmured: "Why is that, it should be here…"

She was in a hurry and put more power into her arm. As soon as she was able to move the large axe, Heavenly Father's right hand also moved. Suddenly, the cave was filled with a rumbling noise.

Shirou hopped up; BiYao beamed with joy. They looked at each other. Shirou ran to BiYao and helped raise the giant axe. Heavenly Father's lowered right hand was raised to mid-air. After a moment, a large ear deafening boom roared through the cave.

They were both surprised; it was like thunder was next to their ears. Behind the statues, the giant, hard, stone wall slid over and revealed a path. There was a stone staircase that went upwards into the unknown darkness.

Then, the stone chamber started to shake fiercely; rocks began to fall from above. They didn't say anything and ran into the stone staircase at the same time.

Eight-hundred years ago, when the Mo LianXue built the cave, they had considered the possibility that they could have been weakened and attacked by the enemy. Therefore, they built a secret path inside of the mountain. If an enemy attacked, they would use this route to escape. After a moment, the entire DiXue Cave would be collapsed. The enemy and LianXue secrets would be buried.

Shirou and BiYao ran as fast as they could. The loud noise kept issuing from behind; stones scattered in the air. If they slowed down, they would die. They brought out the very last bits of their strength and ran forward. There was only darkness in front of them.

In this narrow and dark secret passage, they couldn't count the number of times that they fell on the ground or hit the wall. They could only hear the loud noisy roar behind them. It was like the entire KongSang Mountain was enraged. But finally, with the desire to survive, they saw a light appear in front of them.

The secret passage's entrance was located under a cliff west of the mountain. For some reason, this place was heavily wooded and very well hidden; The LianXue probably conditioned the bats to not come here. It was quite reclusive so it was no wonder why no one had found it for eight-hundred years. The remnants of the LianXue probably didn't even know its existence.

Shirou and BiYao rushed out awkwardly from the tunnel and nearly tripped when they landed on the ground. After a loud 'boom', thousands of tons of stones fell, stirred up a cloud of dust, and blocked the entrance tightly. From now one, no one will ever be able to see the secrets inside the mountain.

Lying on the ground, Shirou was breathing heavily. His hand clutched the wet green grass. Running from the edge of death was quite tiring. After a while, his mind slowly relaxed. He lifted his head, looked to the side, and saw that BiYao was next to him. Her white face had a thin layer of dust. It was like she felt Shirou's eyes. She turned and looked at him

Having escaped from their misfortune, their faces lit up in happiness. BiYao's lips moved; there was water flowing in her eyes, misty, but like crystal. She cheered with a sob; an infinite relief. No longer were they concerned about encroaching death; they could think of pointless things. The sky is very blue; the mountain is very high. Waves of soft wind, a green covered mountain, the spring trees; the whole world was suddenly filled with such heartwarming beauty.

"We… we lived!" She cheered to the green mountain and blue sky.

Shirou laughed loudly next to her. He watched her open her arms and shine the most beautiful smile in the world.

* * *

After a while, there was a clicking sound; fire swallowed the firewood and raised wave after wave of soft smoke. BiYao sat next to the fire and watched as Shirou cleaned a hare that he had just caught. The boy roasted it above the fire with a thick tree branch struck through. As the it continued to be cooked by the fire, the hare gradually turned golden yellow; grease formed into drops and fell off.

The delicious smell spread far and wide through the woods. BiYao was starving from the harrowing experience in the cave and couldn't hold her anticipation. Shirou wasn't in a hurry and carefully monitored their meal. He then moved his hand to his waist and fumbled around a bit. He then frowned with disappointment.

BiYao saw his unhappy expression: "What?"

Shirou smiled apologetically: "It's nothing really. I brought a few small bottles of spices with me in case if we had to camp. If I still had them, I could have made our meal better."

BiYao was shocked: "You… you keep salt and other spices on hand?"

Shirou nodded as if nothing was unusual: "Yes. However, I'd imagine that they have all been lost or destroyed. It's quite the loss; I've been adding to my collection for a while."

BiYao had no words to respond; she just kept on watching him slowly turn the rabbit. She had never met a cultivator who kept spices and condiments on their person. He seemed more like a cook rather than a famous QingYun disciple.

She thought back to when he stood in front of seven men alone. He had been quite fearsome and intimidating.

How could these two individuals be the same person?

In the end, BiYao couldn't hold her laughter; her voice was absolutely delightful. Shirou just looked at her curiously.

After a while, Shirou leaned forth and squinted. Then, he happily said: "Okay, you can eat now."

BiYao was already getting impatient from the waiting. The delicious scent had entered every pore of her body. After just a sniff, she felt as if she was floating and became very light. As for her mouth, there was no need to describe it. If it weren't for the fact that she was carefully hiding it, Shirou would have heard the rumbling of her stomach.

When she finally heard Shirou grant her some mercy, she couldn't help but perk up. With the golden, delicious rabbit in front of her, her saliva almost fell out. She stretched out her hand, but she wasn't very careful. When she touched it, she screamed "Ah!" and took her hand back. She was burned.

Shirou smiled and chuckled: "Don't rush!"

Then, he moved the fire away with a stick and waited for the grease to fall off. When the rabbit got cooler, he carefully tore off a leg and handed it to BiYao. He smiled: "Here."

BiYao immediately held out her hand and took the rabbit. When she opened her mouth, she saw Shirou's kind smile. The sunlight shined through the leaves and landed on his face. It made her heart race.

Her face suddenly blushed and she turned away with her back facing Shirou. Then, she began to eat. Shirou was startled and confused but didn't pay much attention to it. He was also starving. He tore off another rabbit leg and munched on it.

While he was eating, he saw BiYao turned back around and look at him strangely. He couldn't help but ask: "Was it good?"

There was a faint redness on the girl's face. The soft wind from the woods gently fluttered her silky hair; touched her snowy face.

"Very delicious. Umm…"

Shirou asked: "What is it?"

"… I finished."

Her face was gentle and embarrassed. Shirou's mouth opened; he was enchanted.

Nevertheless, he snapped out of the trance and offered her the rest of the rabbit.

BiYao was looking at him. Her face was smiling and her eyes were gentle and loving. She took the rabbit and tore a portion off. She placed the meat in her mouth and softly chewed. Her expression was one of bliss: "Very delicious. This rabbit you roasted; it is the most delicious thing I have eaten in my life."

Shirou's heart jumped. BiYao's pretty and graceful face said those heartfelt words.

The rabbit was soon eliminated by the two hungry people. It was their first meal since the day they entered the cave; it felt great. BiYao then found a stream and the two washed. Then, they began to tire. Their minds were very depressed in the cave. Now that they were no longer on the edge of death, they could finally relax. Their tiredness caught up to them.

BiYao was the first to collapse and slept on a small patch of grass next to the stream. Shirou also felt exhausted and laid down next to her. They were gently bathed by the sunlight. Shirou turned and looked at BiYao. After washing, her hair was quite messy, but her face had returned back to thin snowy white. She was closing her eyes and quietly lying there. The soft wind came and fluttered her hair. Under the sunlight, she seemed to glow.

Suddenly, when BiYao was dreaming, it was like she noticed something was missing. She raised her eyebrows and her right hand grabbed Shirou. She curled up into his side like it was habit. On her lips, there was a soft smile. Then, she slept peacefully.

Shirou startled, but looking at BiYao's peaceful and beautiful face, he didn't have the courage to remove her hand. He just laid there. Slowly, he felt himself fall into slumber. He closed his eyes and pretended that this was a normal occurrence. Then, he fell asleep.

The wind was still softly whistling through the woods. It whistled past the branches, past the leaves, whistled past the quietly flowing stream and raised a small ripple. Finally, it blew across the two young people.

* * *

Shirou woke up, but the sky was dark. They had probably slept for ten or eleven hours. BiYao still hadn't woke up. Both of her hands grabbed his clothes tightly. She looked like a terrified child, who could imagine that she was actually an important person within the Mo factions!

Shirou put his hand under his head and listened to the woods dance in the wind. With his mind unburdened from his own survival, he was able to think and worry about other things. He suddenly thought of Bamboo Peak; does the bamboo forest also make this kind of sound?

He had been missing in the Cave of Fangs for several days. Someone had probably already brought back the news to Bamboo Peak. He winced as he thought about Tian BuYi's reaction but then paled when he remembered that LingEr would be furious.

On his pale face, under the dark night, a smile appeared. To be able to think such trivial thoughts like this again was a blessing. His eyes were so bright even in the night. However, he didn't notice that, next to him, there was another set of bright eyes, watching him.

* * *

It was morning again. The pleasant song of birds rang across the mountains.

Shirou went to the stream and used his hands to hold the water and splash his face. The coolness was soothing and woke his mind. He took a look at his left arm and the strange splint that was there. The gray sword that resembled more of a stick was still there. He took off the makeshift bandage; the broken bone was nearly recovered. He dismissed the projection and exercised his left arm. It felt like there wasn't a problem.

"Your arm recovered?" BiYao came out from behind and looked at him. Then, she kneeling down and washed her face with the cool water.

"Yeah." Shirou happily said: "There aren't any problems. It's not swollen nor does it hurt."

BiYao used her sleeve to softly wipe away the water from her face: "But don't use it too much, it's better to rest for a longer period."

"Understood." Shirou casually answered. Then, he turned to BiYao and hesitated for a moment: "BiYao, we are fortunate enough to escape from the mountain alive. Even though you and I might be friends, we're still walking on different paths, we should probably part here today."

BiYao kneeled next to the water and didn't rise up. Her body shook. Shirou couldn't see her face. After a while, he heard her speak in a lowered voice. "Oh, different paths?"

Shirou sighed: "Unfortunately, yes. I am part of QingYun and you are Mo. We cannot be seen together. Even though you might be my friend, you are still my clan's enemy; I cannot ask you to come with me and put yourself in danger. You saved me inside of the mountain and I appreciate it. For this, in the future, if there is something you wish, I will repay you."

BiYao stared at the blurry reflection on the clear water and quietly murmured: "Repay me?"

Shirou nodded and answered: "Yes. Even if we must stand on opposite sides, I am only alive because you saved me; I wouldn't have survived. In the future, if there anything you need me to do, I will help."

But BiYao suddenly rose up and turned to him: "I can see you are very strong and talented. Why don't you join me and the Holy faction? I will recommend you to father; he has always liked hard-working people. He will put you in a high position; it's better than sitting still in QingYun."

Shirou smiled sadly: "BiYao, you know I can't do that. I have some people I need to see."

BiYao's tone then turned cold: "Is that your LingEr _shijie_? Is that who you need to see? You refuse greatness for some random QingYun disciple?!"

Shirou narrowed his eyes: "You shouldn't judge so quickly. Aren't we proof that things aren't what they seem?"

BiYao could only chuckle hollowly: "Yes. I guess we are. A noble QingYun disciple like you; how could you want to stay with an evil and vicious heretic like me."

Shirou's expression softened: "You shouldn't say such things about yourself."

There was silence between the two of them

After a while, BiYao softly said: "Will I see you again?"

At that, Shirou gave a small smile: "I have no doubts that we will."

With that, Shirou turned around and walked out of the woods without looking back.

BiYao watched him walk away without even turning his head back once. After he disappeared into the woods, her heart suddenly felt empty; like she had lost something important. Her strength was drained and she slowly sat down. Her eyes unwittingly landed on the ashes from Shirou's roast rabbit from last night. She was rooted to the ground; unknowingly, tears came out.

She was sitting there like that; staring at the ashes. Then, the pleasant singing of birds in the woods had become silent. It was like they felt a strong presence descent and were unable to make a sound.

Then, she saw a shadow. It slowly came out from behind and enveloped her.

Although it was still morning, the sky had turned dark.

BiYao quickly turned her head and stared at the person who was standing behind her. After a moment, she cried sadly and fell into that person's arms: "Dad!"

The dark figure was also startled; he didn't expect such a reaction from BiYao. But he was glad to see his daughter had escaped from her misfortune. This happiness he could not hide.

* * *

Shirou finally left KongSang mountain after a day of walking in the woods. If he flew, he could have left much faster. But he was worried about the state of his left arm; he was willing to walk instead. KongSang Mountain was sparsely populated; he couldn't see anyone on his way.

After a night of sleeping in the open, Shirou found the main road. The road was wide and there were more people. He asked a traveler for directions and began to walk north.

The noon was quite hot and Shirou had traveled for the whole day. He was thirsty. Under the shadow of a few trees, he noticed a small tea stand. There were already five or six people sitting. He bought a cup of tea and took a rest.

The tea from the small stall helped him cool down and quenched his thirst. After drinking that small cup of tea, Shirou felt relaxed; the day wasn't so hot anymore. His left arm was basically recovered; at afternoon, he should find a secluded place and begin to fly. The sooner he got back the better.

While he was thinking, he heard a moderate voice come from the roadside: "Keeper, serve me a cup of tea, please."

The rare soft, noon wind flew by and swung the tree branches above. Sunlight scattered on the ground. The fifty-year-old shopkeeper answered and poured the tea. Shirou unwittingly turned his eyes; he couldn't move them back.

It was a middle-aged scholar with thin eyebrows and a squarish face. His eyebrows were cultured, but his eyes were bright and his forehead plump; a might within the elegance. He wore a scholar's robe. There was a light purple jade ornament on his waist, exquisitely carved; radiated soft, auspicious energy. It wasn't a common item.

Shirou stared at him for a while and then discovered that this scholar's presence was quite impressive. Once he entered the stall, the other customers, even Shirou himself, turned silent. It felt like he was being suppressed by this person's might.

The scholar entered the stall and took the tea from the keeper. He sat down and slowly began to sip the tea. The previously loud customers had become silent. The sudden silence was a little awkward; only that middle-aged scholar was calm and collected. He didn't seem to notice anything; drinking tea and resting alone.

After a while, the other customers left one-by-one after resting enough or finishing their tea. The keeper came and cleaned up. Now, under the trees, only Shirou and that scholar remained. However, Shirou didn't feel uncomfortable, but he felt like he had rested for long enough. When he was about to pay and leave, he suddenly heard a voice call behind him.

"Young man."

Shirou startled. The voice was gentle and familiar. He turned and saw the scholar was smiling at him kindly. Shirou asked: "Sir, are you calling me?"

The scholar nodded with a smile: "Correct." He then rose up and slowly walked to Shirou. Shirou also rose up, when he came close, he folded his hands in a respectful gesture: "What can I do for you, sir?"

The middle-aged man examined Shirou and said: "Nothing really, I'm just a bit bored from my trip. I'm quite interested in this young man, so I was hoping we could have a chat. I hope you don't mind."

Shirou quickly shook his head, his manner coming back to him quickly: "No, please, sit down, sir."

The scholar nodded with a smile and said: "Here, please sit too, young man."

They sat down and the older man looked at Shirou and said: "May I ask, what is young man's honorable name?"

Shirou had grown up in Grasstemple Village and was then adopted by QingYun. He had never really talked to outsiders. Nevertheless, he respectfully replied: "It is Shirou, what is mister's name?"

The man mumbled: "Shirou," then nodded and smiled: "My name is Wan RenWang."

"Wan RenWang," Shirou spoke his name and remembered it. The name was simple, but it had an inspiring feeling to it. Shirou glanced at him, RenWang's face was gentle, but there were prestige and nobility in him. It felt like he was some kind of important leader.

RenWang examined Shirou and smiled: "Forgive me for asking, but is Shirou a cultivator?"

Surprise entered Shirou's face. When he, QiHao and the others left the mountain, they had changed from their QingYun robes into something plainer. They looked no different from ordinary people. How did this scholar see through it?"

When Shirou was about to ask how the man knew, the scholar simply pointed to the north: "Shirou, do you perhaps belong to the largest noble faction, QingYun?"

Now Shirou was suspicious and he narrowed his eyes: "Mister Wan, how do you know this?"

RenWang waved his hand in dismissal: "Sit, sit."

After Shirou slowly sat back down, Wan RenWang smiled: "I noticed that young Shirou is filled with magical energy and has no sign of tiredness. Though you may look young, your stamina is far superior compared to many fully-grown adults. In today's world, cultivation is rather popular; young man must be a highly cultivated person."

Shirou thanked him modestly: "As for my faction, how did mister find this out?"

The scholar smiled: "It's nothing really, I saw that you have traveled a long way; keep looking to the north with thoughtful eyes. Of course, north of here is the famous faction, QingYun. It was just a wild guess. I see that it caused you to laugh at me."

Shirou shook his head: "No, sir has such great insight. Even though we have never met, you are able to see things so clearly. I can only admire it."

A smile from the scholar: "QingYun is the most famous cultivation sect for ages. Their mystical magics are admired by the world. To be able to join such a famous faction at such a young age, your future must be bright and beyond measure!"

However, Shirou was a person who never thought his own accomplishments were worth much attention: "Sir, you overpraise me. QingYun has many disciples who are more talented than me."

RenWang laughed at Shirou's response. It was like he expected him to say that.

Shirou didn't bother with it and asked: "Mister Wan seems to be traveling to somewhere; may I ask where?"

The older man stood up and put both hands behind his back. He looked to the sky: "The world is large and boundless. I travel around the world; mountains or ancient swamps, I go everywhere."

"I see."

The scholar turned around and glanced at Shirou. There was a strange smile on his face: "Since you are from QingYun, you must be highly cultivated. I have a presumptuous request. I hope that young Shirou can help."

Shirou startled: "Mister Wan, please, say it."

"I've admired cultivators since I was young, but, unfortunately, fate did not allow me to join. I often dream of cultivators using their Espers to fly up into the heavens. For decades, I have wished to see a cultivator's Esper. Young Shirou is a famous faction's disciple. May you help me realize my wish?"

Then, the man bent over and gave a bow.

Shirou was reluctant to give into the man's request. He quickly looked around and realized that there weren't any people around; even the shopkeeper had disappeared. From within his robe, he unclasped a golden chain and gathered the object into his hands. Even if the scholar tried to run, Shirou would be able to take the Esper back.

RenWang took the offered Esper and nodded graciously. He examined it curiously and the older man seemed excited. Soon enough, he nodded and handed Celestial Tear back to Shirou.

"Shirou is too kind to this old man. It is selfish, but I couldn't help but notice that there was another object around your neck. May I see it, I'm afraid that my curiosity has gotten the better of me."

A frown appeared on the golden-eyed boy's face. The bead that PuZhi gave him was rather strange; he didn't really know what to make of it. However, the scholar had given back Celestial Tear without a fuss and rather quickly.

It couldn't hurt to show him the object.

Thus, Shirou placed his Esper back where it belonged and removed the bead around his neck. He placed it in RenWang's palm.

Seeing what Shirou had handed him, there was a flash of surprise in Wan RenWang's eyes. It disappeared soon. Shirou thought that the man was surprised that his request was granted. However, the scholar's attention was now completely focused on the purple bead in his hand. Then, it seemed like he noticed something; his face darkened.

Shirou couldn't help but ask: "Mister Wan, is there something wrong?"

Wan RenWang seemed to awaken from a dream. He hesitated for a moment and then handed the bead back to Shirou. He said: "Young man. Because I admire cultivation, I've read some books about it. There is something that I need to ask you."

Shirou nodded "Please ask."

The scholar glanced at the purple bead: "Are you aware, that this purple bead is an Esper?"

Shirou felt his eyes widen, but before he could speak the scholar continued: "This orb was once a holy object of Mo. Now, it has changed. It has your blood in it."

"What?" Shirou took a heavy breath.

"This orb was once a relic of the LianXue founder Elder HeiXin eight hundred years ago. It is called Sinister Orb."

Shirou was stunned; held his breath. Although there were thousands of thoughts raging in his mind, there was one image that remained: the skeleton in DiXue cave.

Wan RenWang looked at his shocked face and paused for a moment. He lightly said: "Young man, I've also noticed something in a pouch hidden deep within your clothes. Would you like to learn the history of that item too?"

* * *

A/N: Before anything else, I have to go back to work again. I took a few days off to move in and get settle. Now that that's done, updates are probably going to be less frequent. I will try to update when I can.

That being said, I was debating whether or not to make Shirou learn the exit of the cave with Structural Grasping before the original MC did. Ultimately, I decided against it. I thought about it for a while and decided that it would have too many implications. With Shirou and BiYao sharing a closer / deeper relationship, what I want Shirou to do will make more sense.

Next Chapter: Shirou talks with RenWang some more. He learns what the bead around his neck actually is. Some new characters and a new setting.


	11. Inferno - 1

A/N: In this chapter: Shirou has a talk with a scholar, gets sidetracked and helps a town, and gets his fortune read

We get some new characters in this chapter; we're going to go on a tangent before reuniting with the friends from QingYun. Its an important tangent; I'll be giving Shirou some tools to deal with the crap thrown at him by the next chapter.

All I'll say is that this arc's purpose is to make Shirou question his beliefs / ideals and also expose him to the irrationality of love. Even though he's quite moderate compared to the other people of his clan, he still holds onto some biases. It's natural since QingYun is really the place he grew up.

* * *

Inferno – 1

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise at the middle-aged scholar, Wan RenWang. A bad feeling began to take root in his heart. Yet, there was another sensation; a desire to finally understand what exactly these objects he had held onto for so long truly were.

Of course, he was still suspicious. He asked: "Why does mister think I have such an item?"

RenWang waved him off and casually dismissed the concern. The scholar answered: "There are three dense energies around you. You have already shown me two of them; your Esper and Sinister Orb. However, those are only two items; the third feels a tad shapeless but no less dense. Thus, it must be a powder hidden in your clothes."

Shirou dryly replied: "You are quite astute."

RenWang smiled: "It really is nothing. Young man has simply not lived as long as this old scholar. I have no doubt that in a decade that you will possess a similar intuition."

The two shared a moment of tense silence.

RenWang then asked: "So, how about it, young man; will you show me this object?"

Shirou tensed. Even though his heart was suspicious of this scholar, his body felt compelled to obey. This man's noble bearing and presence were truly monstrous. By simply being in his vicinity, even a cultivator as learned and trained as Shirou couldn't deny this middle-aged man's wishes. The scholar possessed an unearthly charisma.

In the end, the golden-eyed boy reached into the deepest pockets of his robe. He pulled out a small pouch containing a coarse black powder.

Shirou had acquired this item the same day that XiaoHui followed him home. That day felt like a lifetime ago; he and LingEr chasing that monkey into that ancient valley. He remembered when LingEr had fallen unconscious in the presence of a black stick. The item radiated a strong vile sensation. Its presence felt tainted that day.

He had ended up breaking the rod; turned it brittle and crushed it into pieces. He used a large stone in order to smash the remnants of the rod until he could no longer feel any sensation from it. Then, he had placed the coarsely powdered remains in a small pouch that he had on him. Despite a multitude of attempts at finding information on the strange stick, Shirou was unable to discover anything relating to it.

However, he still remembered that terrible sensation; his blood freezing in his veins. Though it no longer had that hateful presence, Shirou kept the pouch where he felt it would be safest: with himself. He had learned he could counteract whatever force the stick was able to exert on him with Brahman Wisdom in the ancient valley. Thus, he would the only potential victim; no one else would be harmed by the powder.

Miraculously enough, the pouch had survived through the excursion into the Cave of Fangs.

Shirou's body betrayed him; the scholar's captivating presence whispered his heart to follow along. He handed the pouch over to RenWang.

RenWang smiled and took the pouch from Shirou's hand. Suddenly, the imposing presence faded from the boy's heart. The scholar carefully examined the pouch and opened it slightly; peered inside. His eyes widened when he saw the coarse powder that it contained. Suddenly, his brow furrowed in what seemed like confusion.

After a while, RenWang's examination was complete. He tied up the pouch and handed it back to Shirou. The boy accepted the item and quickly returned it to where it had been before.

Wan RenWang was silent for a few moments. He eventually said, tensely, "Young man, are you aware of what you possess?"

Shirou frowned at the man's puzzled expression: "No. Mister, if you know anything about it, please, share."

RenWang stared at Shirou. His eyes seemed to pierce through to the boy's soul. The scholar slowly said: "The energy in that black powder is very dense. Some of it feels like the energy that I felt in the other two objects; your own magic. However, another part of it feels putrid and vile. Young man, was that powder once a black stick?"

Shirou's eyes widened; he lost his words.

However, RenWang saw his expression. The scholar nodded and continued: "Let me ask you something else. This stick, it must have felt vile. If a normal person were to go near this stick, they would die within three yards of it. All of the blood in their body would turn into tar and rush into their heart; the evil energy would kill them. You must have felt this, no?"

Shirou's heart moved: "Yes. When I met that thing, I felt that my body was heavy and that I wanted to vomit; almost fainted."

Wan RenWang softly sighed: "So I am correct." Then, he frowned and quietly sighed: "You did not die to it; that's weird."

Shirou didn't hear him clearly and asked: "What?"

Wan RenWang smiled but didn't answer him. He pointed to Shirou's robe; the location where he placed the pouch: "This black powder was once a short black stick. That stick was an extremely savage item called the Soul-Absorbing Wand; however, it doesn't belong to Mo. It was unknown to the world for thousands of years; dates back to before the noble or heretical factions even formed. There are only a few ancient books that had ever recorded it. Young Shirou is very fortunate to have three of the most precious objects in the world."

"Soul-Absorbing Wand!" Shirou was stunned; mumbled.

"Correct," RenWang returned to normal. He said, "In one of these ancient texts, it's said that it was originally a strange metal from the heavens; however, the metal landed in the Nine Hells. It was crafted with hellfire and the souls of wraiths. A thousand years to smelt, a thousand more to shape; for a thousand more years it absorbed the souls of ghosts. Another thousand years go by and it obtained the ability to suck out a living being's soul. A normal person cannot handle such a savage object, yet, in a single second, it was crushed by young Shirou's hand."

Shirou's mouth dropped. His body was shaking; the truth behind the black powder was too much for him to take in at once. However, once he recovered, he placed his hand over the section of his robe that covered the pouch. There was no vile presence. He remembered that the foul object was destroyed by his very hand.

Wan RenWang noticed his shocked expression. He stared at Shirou the entire time. When the boy's face seemed relieved, the scholar asked: "Young Shirou, what is wrong?"

Shirou sighed: "It is nothing, mister. I was thinking that this object must have been very evil. It used a countless number of spirits in its creation, yet, it still kills other living things. The number of people killed by this evil object…"

RenWang listened to Shirou's response; he realized that Shirou grew up in QingYun and had never really seen the world before. The young man was living in such a tumultuous time and was trying to find his own way. However, the scholar had no intention of comforting or assuring Shirou.

The older man said: "Evil object? Then, young man, what is an evil object to you?"

Shirou frowned; he gave his naïve interpretation of justice: "That black stick, Soul-Absorbing Wand, has harmed many lives; killed many people. How could it not be an evil object?"

RenWang laughed coldly: "So, if something has killed a lot of people, then it is deemed to be evil?"

To save lives indiscriminately was Shirou's ideal. Thus, the boy answered immediately without any hesitation: "Yes."

RenWang's face filled with disdain. The imposing presence had returned; the prestige and noble bearing began to show. He looked like an entirely different person. However, Shirou was resolute in his stance; he didn't quake before the man. RenWang then continued: "Then, young man, I ask this. Male pigs and female pigs; black pigs and white pigs. Aren't they not all just pigs?"

Shirou didn't expect RenWang to say this. He was startled but said, "Of course."

RenWang continued immediately: "Then, lions and goats, tigers and rabbits; killing each other. Are they not also living? Is there a difference between this and your good and evil?"

Shirou could feel where RenWang was going, but he still didn't fully understand. All he could say was, "Yes."

Wan RenWang snorted: "Then let me ask you this instead. Your so-called 'nobles' and 'heretics', are they all human?"

Shirou startled, he wanted to refute, but the worlds didn't come out. He could only agree: "Yes."

RenWang's face was solemn; he looked at Shirou intensely. It had started to creep the red-haired boy out. Then, the scholar said very slowly: "Young Shirou, your QingYun has a world famous Esper that is well known throughout history. Ancient Sword Regenesis – ZhuXian: The Sword that Cleaves the Evil Mountain. Do any of these names sound familiar to you? Do you know about this weapon?"

Shirou's emotions felt like they were completely controlled by RenWang. He nodded unwillingly: "Yes."

Wan RenWang's face darkened and a cold chuckled escaped from his throat. He harshly said: "Then, do you know, how many lives Regenesis, ZhuXian, has killed; how many lives had been destroyed by it in the battle between the Nobles and Heretics a thousand years ago? If we compared all the Espers in the world, the one that has actually killed the most people - has the evilest energy - will be your sacred and deity like Ancient Sword Regenesis – ZhuXian!"

There was a profound silence between the two men. Shirou took a step back, it was like he punched by someone in the face. He felt that, deep within his heart, that something holy and sacred had been violated.

The powder hidden in his robe was evil; the orb around his neck was evil; using the same definition, the jade tear also strung around his neck was evil. The sword of QingYun's highest saint was deemed to be evil. In this sea of evil, where was the good supposed to be? Where was justice in all of this?

However, to him, the answer was clear. Shirou closed his eyes and gathered his courage.

"No."

RenWang's face seemed to darken significantly at the boy's response. His voice was frosty: "Young man, please, do not tell me that you cling to such thoughts. Even though your QingYun's sword, Regenesis, was used to cut down the so-called 'evils' of the land, those 'evils' were still human too."

Shirou shook his head and steeled his nerves again: "This stick - Soul-Absorbing Wand - and Regenesis are not the same."

RenWang's eyes narrowed; the wind seemed to pick up: "You should explain yourself, young Shirou."

Shirou opened his eyes; they were resolute: "Regenesis may have killed a countless number of heretics; however, it was not created for the sole purpose of killing people and causing suffering. Soul-Absorbing Wand is much different. It was smelted in hellfire; consumed the souls of the dead. It was created as a cursed and evil item. I say it is evil because it ends lives without any meaningful reason."

RenWang's expression lightened. The scholar's hand cupped his chin: "Young man, I seemed to have been mistaken. I thought you were merely a devout QingYun disciple; I didn't think that you were a fool."

Shirou staggered; he didn't expect that set of words: "Fool?"

RenWang explained: "You claim that Soul-Absorbing Wand and Regenesis are fundamentally different because of the intent behind their creation. Tell me, do you know the history behind your Ancient Sword Regenesis – ZhuXian? How do you know that what I told you about Soul-Absorbing Wand is true? With your knowledge, that stick could have been the golden arm of Buddha!"

Shirou countered: "But I have experienced the Soul-Absorbing Wand's presence and aura for myself. A malicious object that indiscriminately harms the living cannot be anything but evil. There cannot be any good that comes out of using such an object; wielding such a vile thing only amounts to death!"

RenWang closed his eyes and then nodded. He opened his eyes and stared at Shirou deeply: "Young man, from the sound of things, you value life above all else."

Shirou affirmed: "Correct."

Wan RenWang nodded again: "That is admirable in this day. So many have fallen into traps such as greed. To remain so innocent is truly a blessing."

Shirou frowned: "What is wrong with wanting people to live?"

Wan RenWang shook his head: "I didn't mean any harm with my words. However, if this is the case, then I have to ask you this. Sinister Orb was created by Mo Elder HeiXin over a thousand years ago. However, it was created with the intent on unifying the Mo factions under a common banner. If it had not been made, countless Mo lives would have been lost due to the lack of a united front. Thus, I have to ask you, do you think that this Sinister Orb is evil?"

Shirou narrowed his eyes: "Of course, was it not created for the sole purpose of killing indiscriminately? Its bloodthirsty aura would consume anything around it."

RenWang nodded: "Yes, but with the sacrifice of only a few thousand, countless of others were saved. The battlefields between the noble and heretical factions were large and dangerous; many villages were erased from the land because of them. Can you imagine how many more lives would have been claimed if Sinister Orb was not made?"

"But why did it have to be made? There could have been other methods to united Mo without sacrificing thousands."

The scholar frowned. He said: "You believe that the lives of a few thousand outweigh the countless – perhaps millions – of people that lived and continued their line?"

Shirou responded angrily: "I believe that it was wrong because lives had to be weighed."

RenWang responded coolly: "Then, please, young man, tell me how you would have solved the issue."

Shirou said resolutely: "I would have found a way to unite Mo without resorting to sacrificing lives. Even if death is unavoidable because of war, it is still better to save the innocent. Even if I have to sacrifice myself to do so; if it is to save a life, I would gladly do so!"

"You are a bit hypocritical, young man. Do you not value your own life at all? Are you also not a living being? Think of all the people that will die because of you. Can you continue forward, knowing that you led all of them to die?"

Shirou said: "If that is the price, then I will gladly bear it. I understand that some fights are unstoppable; people will clash if they think differently. However, to nonsensically kill people is unacceptable."

There was a moment of silence. The two of them could hear the shuffling of leaves.

Suddenly, Wan RenWang leaned back and laughed boisterously. Shirou could only stare at the scholar in confusion. Eventually, RenWang regained his bearings and responded.

"Never before have I seen such a fool before. To think that you can save every life regardless of the situation. Even in the face of hopelessness, you are unwilling to sacrifice a few to save the many. You are truly a fool; inconceivably foolish in every regard.

"You claim that items are only good and evil because of their intent; however, how do objects have their own intent? Yes, there are exceptions such as the Soul Absorbing Stick. That object is savage and knows no master. However, everything else can be tamed. Was Sinister Orb not used by a single practitioner?

"Knowing this, you still believe that these things are evil or just. This is nonsense; the people wielding these things are the ones who are showing their intent. The Espers are just mediums; conduits for this intent. Weapons are not inherently evil or good."

Shirou frowned: "Then, are you saying that people are inherently good or evil."

RenWang shook his head: "No. I am saying that there are no such things; good or evil."

"That's preposterous!"

Wan RenWang's eyes darkened and his voice was chilly: "Young man, you should remember this. There is no absolute good or evil. The leaders of QingYun and the leaders of Mo are both humans. They might both believe that they are good and that they are working towards a better future; however, to each other, they are the very personification of evil.

"Good and evil, these things are arbitrary. They simply do not exist in nature. However, you possess a pure soul. If your goal is to save as many people as possible, then why do you remain in QingYun? I am not saying that you should abandon your home, but you must consider the costs all the same. Heaven and Earth are heartless; lives do not matter to them. If you care about the living so much, then you must devote yourself to it.

"Heaven and Earth will neither help you nor hinder you here; you are alone in this regard. If you truly think this way; then, I ask, are you ready to walk this solemn and thankless path?"

* * *

The sunlight shined down through the thick leaves of the large trees. It was broken down to pieces of light and landed on the ground. As the leaves swayed with the wind, the pieces of sunlight on the ground jumped like naughty children.

Sometimes, the light will land on a young man.

Shirou kneeled on the ground and stared at the earth quietly. The shadows seemed to be darker and uglier than before. What Wan RenWang said was pretty much what BiYao said that day at KongSang Mountain. However, coming from this scholar, the words made a more profound impact on Shirou. Inside the boy's heart, there was a shadow, laughing cruelly. It questioned his dreams and ideals.

Wan RenWang was calming sitting there, drinking the tea that had long since turned cold. The tea stall keeper had returned; he stood at far away and looked at the two of them. Then, the keeper moved his eyes away; he didn't know or care for the raging ocean of anger and doubt in this young man's heart!

After a long while, Shirou calmed himself down from all of the worry and struggle. He slowly picked himself up and faced Wan RenWang. He said coolly: "Who exactly are you?"

RenWang had returned back to his casual tone. The overwhelming presence was gone. He smiled faintly: "Me? I am Wan RenWang. I'm just an ordinary mortal person who travels around the world."

Shirou glared at him: "How can an ordinary mortal person know so much? You must be from Mo; no one in QingYun would speak like you."

RenWang didn't react and only looked at him. The scholar lightly said: "Why must I be from Mo? Am I not allowed to be neutral?"

"If you were neutral, you still wouldn't talk this way. You say that the dichotomy of good or evil doesn't exist. I think that if you were neutral, you'd say that both noble and heretics are savage and evil; only know how to kill each other."

RenWang gave a cold laugh: "And if I'm Mo, what are you going to do?"

Shirou's body trembled, but his face was determined: "Nothing. You are simply another person. We do not need to kill each other today."

"And if I'm actually a savage killer in disguise?"

"Then I will sorrowfully put my blade through your heart. However, I would rather have to stop you than kill an innocent man."

RenWang startled and then slowly rose up. He examined Shirou with a critical expression. A smile appeared on his lips: "Young man, you are a treasure in today's world. Even though your belief is foolish and naïve, you have thought long and hard about it. To be able to think so far and deeply; your future must be great. With just these intentions, you are far better than the rest of your QingYun - no - better than most people in the world!"

Shirou narrowed his eyes at the praise: "Who the hell are you?"

RenWang didn't answer: "You were heading north. Are you returning to the QingYun mountains?"

Shirou startled a little and said: "What do you mean?"

RenWang smiled: "You don't know? The Mo have restored power; expanded their forces. Recently they gathered across the Eastern Sea at the Billows. Your QingYun sent many people there to meet with the other factions. There will probably be a huge battle soon; why don't you go take a look?"

Shirou was stunned and said: "Really?" But as he raised his head: "Do not try to change the subject. I ask you again…"

He stopped before he could finish. In the split second that Shirou lowered his gaze, Wan RenWang had already disappeared. Even the tea stall keeper was gone; the two vanished like ghosts and left no traces behind. The only thing left was a lonely and empty tea stall.

Shirou blinked and looked around him blankly. Although he was under the sunlight, he could feel a freezing chill in the warm noon air.

After a while of standing, he moved his feet and left the large tree. He summoned a standard gray blade that he preferred for flight and started heading east.

When Shirou's figure was no longer visible, three people came out from behind a large tree. The first person was Wan RenWang, next came the tea stall keeper. The last person would have surprised Shirou; it was the Mo girl, BiYao.

Wan RenWang looked at the east and nodded. His face was smiling: "This young man has an unbending determination and a very solid mind. He reminds me of when I was young."

The tea stall keeper was not an old looking man anymore; his eyes were bright and fierce. The keeper said: "Archlord, he had our Mo's treasures. Why didn't we make him stay?"

Wan RenWang seemed very used to being called 'Archlord'. He responded casually: "For some reason, the young man's blood has entered the Sinister Orb and changed it. Even if we take it from him, it doesn't serve the same purpose anymore. As for Soul-Absorbing Wand, it was never ours, to begin with; also, it's just a pile of dust now. Both are useless if we just rob them from him."

BiYao snorted: "I noticed that that orb was strange back in DiXue cave. To think that he was holding onto Sinister Orb the entire time."

Wan RenWang turned to BiYao. His face was very gentle. He said, "BiYao, what do you think of that young man?"

BiYao's face blushed prettily; she scolded, "Dad! Today I brought you here to see what you thought of him!"

Wan RenWang laughed: "This youngster is an idiot! However, he's quite the intelligent and determined idiot. Such a person is rare to find these days; it's actually quite endearing. I approve!"

At that, BiYao's face turned completely red: "Dad! Why are you saying such nonsensical things!"

RenWang laughed loudly again at his daughter's embarrassment. When he calmed down, he said: "I would like for him to join our Holy faction; we could use someone like him. I can teach him many things about the world; you two can learn about each other at the same time."

BiYao didn't think she could get any more embarrassed or red.

Now, RenWang's face turned more serious: "That being said, convincing him to join our Holy faction is going to be difficult with his stubborn nature."

BiYao's face grew despondent and she let out a sigh.

RenWang held his hand out and caressed his daughter's hair softly. He smiled: "But he was able to untie the knot in your heart that has caused you so much grief throughout the years. He allowed us to reconcile and grow close again. We need to return this gratitude."

BiYao happily asked: "Dad, do you have a plan?"

Wan RenWang looked at the sky and that indomitable presence slowly came out; showed he was a person who held an astronomical amount of power. However, his eyes were specked with grief. He slowly said: "To change a person's nature. It is difficult, but it doesn't mean that it is impossible."

BiYao was delighted. Her father turned around, looked at her and smiled. It was no different than a father glad to see his own daughter happy. BiYao smiled to RenWang, but the person next to them frowned. He whispered to RenWang: "Archlord, this is only a QingYun brat. I heard he is a prodigy and gifted from _that_ man, but is he really worth that much of our effort?"

RenWang shook his head: "That young man has two of the most dangerous objects in the world and has tamed both of them forcefully. With his power and determination, his Esper, Celestial Tear, will turn him into one of the most important people within the mystical realm. If we can secure such a great person, it would help with my ambitions. Also, I like the boy. Not to mention he has already helped both me and my daughter.

BiYao nodded: "I already told him that day; if he joined our Holy faction, dad would value him highly. He didn't listen."

RenWang chuckled: "Of course he didn't listen. He grew up in QingYun. Even though he might not hate our Holy faction as deeply as the other disciples, he still harbors an unconscious disdain for us. However, he is a truly righteous and pure person; if we can show him that our Holy faction would be more receptive to his desires than his QingYun, then he will naturally flock to us."

BiYao's smile was radiant

* * *

Shirou left the tea stall and headed to the east by himself.

It was the height of noon; the sun shone heavily on the earth. Past the desolate surroundings of KongSang Mountain, the land flattened and opened up into fields of fertilized ground. There weren't that many people living in these open plains; the low population was also spread widely. There was only an old road, meandering through the land, formed only because many people from both past and present traveled through.

Shirou had flown; however, his mind was distracted. He absently pierced through the air. The conversation between him and Wan RenWang had left him feeling troubled. Even though he had been so righteous and determined when defending his ideals, now that he was alone, he had started to recount the conversation; questioned both himself and the scholar.

The Sinister Orb laid silent around his neck; that pouch containing the remains of Soul-Absorbing Wand felt slightly cool.

Flying and thinking without end.

On his gray sword, a burdened young man suddenly stopped; looked at the sky.

The sky was so clear and blue; held an unattainable loftiness.

Shirou stared at the expanse blankly. His lips moved a little; eyebrows frowned together; watching the sky like he was talking to the heart of the heavens.

"This path I walk; what is its purpose?"

* * *

On the way, Shirou endured the hardships of travel. When he was hungry, he caught some rabbits or birds to eat. When he was tired from flying, he rested on the ground before returning to the skies. When he wanted to sleep, he slept underneath a tree. Though it might have arduous for an ordinary person, Shirou's body was quite strong from practicing Brahman Wisdom and from his _shiniang's_ training.

He used a normal gray sword to travel; Kanshou and Bakuya were still far too exquisite to turn into transportation. His mind was still annoyed; however, his heart was still resolute. Even if he was questioning the purpose behind his ideals, he was firmly entrenched into his beliefs.

The last statement that RenWang issued had troubled him ever since. Shirou was trying to understand the intention. He had always wanted to become a hero to save people; yet, what the scholar had implied troubled him. Heaven and Earth are heartless; man is nothing to them. If he wanted to save people, then that meant there had to be people to save. Heaven and Earth would not help him here; he had to find his own answer to this dilemma.

If he was any other person, like his sixth _shixiong_ BiShu, he would have probably laughed it off and forgot about the conversation. He was his own person; why listen to a stranger's critiques? If it was his _shixiong_ DaRen, with his serious nature, he would have paid that strange scholar no heed. He wouldn't have even thought about it.

But Shirou was stubborn in his beliefs and temper. He had flown for two days; yet, this issue still plagued his heart.

That day, Shirou suddenly felt as if there were more travelers on the road below him. In the distance, he could see a small town up ahead. It was not a large settlement, but there were many people on the road nearby.

Excitement passed through Shirou's heart; he temporarily forgot his concerns. For the past two days, it had been quite lonely flying alone in the skies. Additionally, he had been trapped in a cave for an unknown amount of time. Now that he found a small town, he felt happier; his spirit was raised.

He found a secluded location to land and dismissed his projection. As he walked closer to the settlement, he found a stone next to the entrance. It was carved with the words, 'Laguna Collective'; probably the town's name.

Shirou entered quickly; the sound of people was getting louder. The road passed straight through the town. On the sides of the road, there were a few buildings; some were residences, others were shops. However, peddlers took up a majority of the space; showed their goods directly on a carpeted ground. His ears picked up the sounds of haggling; it was like a drawing of the world.

Shirou walked into the crowd with a smile on his lips. When he was still young, growing up in Grasstemple Village, he could vaguely remember something like this. The mortal world is a different realm compared to the lofty cultivators of QingYun.

"Dong… dong…"

When Shirou was lost in past memories and random thoughts, suddenly, a sky shocking gong rang from the road ahead. It surprised him. Then, the residents next to him increased their pace toward the sound. There were several people talking along the way: "Hurry, the chief is having us gather for a speech."

"I think it's about _that_ thing."

"Yeah, I heard the chief, marshal Li, and scholar Fan discussing it for the entire night. I wonder if they have thought of a plan yet?"

"Wish they would come up with one, otherwise, I don't know how I'm going to live on like this!"

…

As Shirou heard the surrounding conversations, his curiosity was hooked; he followed the crowd. Just after a minute, several hundreds of people had gathered around a stone platform in the center of the town.

Shirou stood within the crowd of people and looked at the center platform. The stone platform was about half a man high; seemed quite smooth. Three people were standing on it; two were old and one was young. They were probably the chief, marshal Li, and scholar Fan.

When the oldest man saw that everyone was gathered, he stepped forth and waved his hand toward the residents. The people around the platform became quiet.

When it was completely quiet, the old man looked around. With a heavy tone, he began: "Folks, I believe that everyone already knows the purpose behind today's gathering. Three months ago, that demon came and began to live inside the Dark Drake Cave ten miles away. Ever since then, it has troubled this town; recently it has been getting worse. Each night it comes and robs countless livestock. Then, three days ago, the Wang family resisted it for their last ox. However, they were unfortunately killed by the hand of that demon."

Sighs of sadness rose among the residents; some people even cursed. Shirou understood the picture and frowned at the events. But he still didn't know what kind of creature this demon was.

The chief continued: "This old man is the chief of this town, but he cannot give this town its peace; very shameful. However, after a discussion with marshal Li and scholar Fan last night, we believe that this demon is not normal; ordinary people like us cannot resist. So, we are going to make a notice to ask for a cultivator to come and capture the demon. As for the cost, we will need everyone to help support the it."

After he finished, a discussion arose among the crowd: "The chief is right, we need to hire a cultivator to capture that demon."

"If this continues, we're going to be destroyed by that demon; why care about money?"

"Right, right…"

The three men who stood on the stone platform saw that most of the residents had agreed with the elder's sentiments; the chief was relieved. He said: "Alright, last night, I also asked scholar Fan to write a notice. Put the notice up."

Then, he nodded to the scholarly looking young man. The scholar acknowledged his words and took out a piece of paper. There was some writing on it. He walked down from the stone platform and put up the notice on a brick wall.

The residents immediately gathered around it. Shirou also went there and had a look.

The paper said that there was a three-tailed fox spirit living in the Dark Drake Cave ten miles away from town. It often troubled the town, stole livestock at night, and even harms and kills people. However, the demon was too powerful for the townsfolk; they specifically asked for a powerful cultivator to help them remove the demon. Laguna Collective was willing to pay five hundred silvers for the work.

Shirou knew the money was being funded by the Laguna Collective's residents; all of them were in agreement. Even though he wanted to return to QingYun and reunite with the residents of Bamboo Peak, he also couldn't ignore the solemn and desperate situation that plighted these people. Perhaps he was feeling a bit more emotional after the talk he had with RenWang; thought that he needed to prove to himself that his ideals were worthy and not foolish.

Thus, with no hesitation, Shirou walked through the crowd and caused a disturbance.

He walked to the wall and read through the notice. Then, without saying anything, he ripped it off.

The crowd exclaimed; shocked. Shirou turned around and his eyes swept across the people around him. The residents became quiet. The golden-eyed boy said: "I am QingYun's Bamboo Peak's Tian BuYi's seventh disciple, Shirou. Even though my cultivation is not as high as my master's, I will help you today in this endeavor."

The crowd startled.

Everyone was staring at him. The chief and the two others that had stood on the platform arrived in from of Shirou. The chief carefully said: "This… Brave man, this demon is very powerful. You will need more than just pure strength in order to defeat it. It will be very dangerous; are you sure?"

Shirou nodded: "Of course. Though my cultivation may not be as high as the QingYun masters', I am confident in my abilities."

The chief seemed slightly skeptical at his response. "Young man, are you sure…"

However, before he could finish, a loud laugh came from the crowd. The sea of people parted to allow a single man through. He passed the crowd swiftly.

He was a large man; he wasn't old looking and seemed to be around twenty. Thick eyebrows and large eyes; squarish face and wide ears. He was surprisingly fit despite his imposing stature. Among all of the people, the tallest one could only reach the man's shoulders; he was like a crane standing among chickens.

The town residents had all turned their attention towards the large man. The imposing person said: "Chief, if you feel that a single person is not enough, then let this monk help you. I am Fu's Herald of Valor's only practicing disciple JuShi. I can feel that this young man's cultivation is very high; his magic is strong and powerful. Please, allow us to help."

The chief seemed shocked: "Ah, but we cannot afford to pay for two cultivators. All of the money we have is the…"

JuShi cut the chief off: "There is no need to worry; I am sure that my QingYun _shixiong_ will agree with me. To simply assist in removing this demon is a reward in itself. As for the money, Shirou _shixiong_ may take the payment. All that this monk needs is a meal so he can fight this demon."

Shirou smiled; it felt like he met a person who shared his sentiments. He shook his head at the chief: "Chief, what JuShi _shixiong_ said is correct; there is no need for such an extravagant payment. However, I feel that JuShi _shixiong_ will be unjustly robbed of his heroic deeds. If you insist on following through with a reward, then, please, split it between us; however, there is no need to pay if you do not wish to."

The chief was very pleased; a large smile was on his face. Surely cheap things are the best. He quickly replied: "Of course, of course. Young JuShi, please, come with me; I will make sure that your stomach is satisfied. Young Shirou, please, refresh yourself before your task. The town will welcome you."

Shirou watched as the two of them walked off to somewhere; most likely a place where JuShi could eat. He smiled to himself. Later, he would meet up with his companion for this task and talk. However, he had a bit of time before he needed to do that. The crowd began to disperse and Shirou followed behind them.

However, as he took a step forward, he suddenly heard a worried and anxious voice next to his ear: "Ah, young sir, you have dark energy above your head. Your glabella is black; death on your face. Something terrible is going to happen!"

Shirou was shocked out of his good mood. He was surprised at the sudden words and took a step backward to turn around. Carelessly, he stepped on a bad spot.

He stepped on a piece of dog poop.

This anger was not easy to dismiss. Shirou jumped up but felt that his foot had already sunk. Despite the shoes and his clothing, he could feel a frosty chill crawl up his legs. He shivered; turned around with annoyance to see who the hell that person was.

There was an old man with a very plain and clean face. His beard and hair were completely white. He looked like a celestial; a highly cultivated person. The first impression that Shirou felt for the man was respect. Standing next to this old man, there was an eight or nine-year-old girl with two plaits. She looked playful and cute. She was enjoying a candied haw in her hand.

Shirou's annoyance was paused by the old man's appearance. He was shocked to see such a dignified figure. The old man looked at Shirou's foot, but there was no apologetic look; he seemed more anxious: "Look, look. Isn't that an omen?"

Shirou was surprised: "What?"

The old man glanced at him. With a meaningful tone, he said, "Have you ever of the saying: Step on dog poop, bad luck comes to you; from ten nine die, misery fills the sky?"

Shirou startled: "No, but I heard my _shixiong_ once say that, when someone has met some good fortune, people will say that he is lucky as dog poop."

The old man was stunned by his words; shook his head: "Fool, fool, such nonsense."

Shirou said: "How?"

"Let me put it this way: do you purposefully step on dog poop all the time?"

Shirou shook his head: "Of course not. Why would I do such a thing?"

"Correct!" The old man clapped his hands: "If dog poop is truly lucky, then why do people avoid it. Also, it is a very dirty thing, so stinky that everyone hates it. When you step on it, how could it possibly be not bad luck, but good luck?"

Shirou felt that the elder's words were quite correct. It seemed that he and his sixth _shixiong_, BiShu, had been wrong. Then, he remembered what the old man said. While unfortunate, he wouldn't describe stepping in dog poop as terrible or calamitous.

Shirou said: "About what elder said before; this terrible event; is it stepping in dog poop?"

The old man frowned tightly and examined Shirou. Shirou felt himself growing uncertain under this celestial figure's discerning gaze. The old man said: "Well, it seems that you will suffer a great disaster. Why don't you come this way; I will give you a palmistry fortune."

"Palmistry?" Shirou startled. Then, he noticed that the old man was holding onto a bamboo pole. There was a piece of white cloth tied to it; written on it were the words: Immortal Guide.

So, the old man was a fortune-teller; however, Shirou didn't look down on him. The founder of QingYun was also a fortune-teller and he had created one of the most powerful clans to date. Even though no one in QingYun practices fortune-telling anymore, QingYun people have always been very friendly towards fortune-tellers. If they weren't, that would be sacrilegious and disrespecting the founder.

Shirou still hesitated, but he knew that while he was talking to the old man, the chief was taking JuShi through several establishments for the large man's meal. With a man of the monk's stature, it would be a while before the two would be finished; the chief would be in tears. Shirou still had plenty of time before he would have to meet with his companion in this endeavor.

So, he turned and said to the old man, "That's fine. I will need to trouble elder to help me have a look."

The dignified old man laughed and pointed to a tree on the roadside: "Let's talk over there."

After that, he turned away. Shirou was about to follow, but there was a clear voice suddenly beside him: "Big brother."

Shirou was stunned. It was the little girl who was standing next to the old man eating a candied haw. He didn't know why she called him. Shirou looked at her rosy cheeks; very cute. He bent down and smiled: "What is it?"

The little girl chewed on her treat and then spit out several seeds. She looked at Shirou, half-smiling: "There is still dog poop under your foot! Very stinky!"

"Ah!" Shirou immediately blushed. He jumped up and kept shaking his foot; trying to get rid of the dirty thing.

The little girl looked at his attempts to remove the dog poop. She laughed and skipped to the old man under the tree.

* * *

After Shirou finished removing the last traces of the dirty thing he stepped in, he turned around and saw that the little girl had already gone to the old man. She whispered something to the celestial looking man. The elder nodded and smiled.

Shirou couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed; perhaps they were talking about him, laughing at him. After some hesitation, he walked over to them; under the tree. He said: "Elder, you said that I will suffer a great disaster; what do you mean?"

The old man squinted his eyes and smiled: "Young man, although the center of your forehead is plump enough, your cheeks are a little thin; probably not from a rich family, right?"

Shirou's belief in the fortune-teller increased a bit. He nodded: "Elder is right, I was born in a small country village."

The old man smiled and softly dusted his robe. He said: "I see that your eyebrows are dense; straight and high. However, at the ends, they are a bit less thick. This place indicates parents. I'm afraid that your parents are probably already gone?"

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise. Yet again, his trust in the old man increased more. He nodded: "Elder, you have wise eyes. My parents died when I was young."

The old man said: "Why don't you hold your hand out; let me see it."

Shirou had faith in the fortune-teller's credibility. He held out his hand. The old man was examining his palm with a smile on his face. However, the little girl suddenly came out and grabbed Shirou's hand. He was surprised. The little girl mimicked the old man's thinking posture. Then, she laughed and ran away; left several sticky sugar crystals on his palm. It felt pretty bad.

Shirou was stunned, but he couldn't yell at the little child; he could only convince himself that he was unlucky. The old man handed him a handkerchief and smiled: "My granddaughter is naughty, please, don't be mad at her."

Shirou smiled good-naturedly and used the handkerchief to clean his hand. When he lifted his head, he saw the old man was chatting with his granddaughter again; most likely berating the little girl.

The old man noticed that Shirou had finished cleaning his hand and smiled. He returned to the boy; his granddaughter followed behind. "Okay, let me see young man's palm?"

Shirou held out his hand; his eyes peered at the little girl, fearing that she would fool around again. This time, the little girl was very quiet; only giggled at Shirou. He wondered what she was laughing at.

After a moment, the old man's expression changed into shock: "Heavens…"

Shirou was surprised and asked, "What is it?"

The old man's face frowned; he didn't say much. He pointed to Shirou's palm and said, "Young man, do you see your life line?"

Shirou glanced at his palm; however, he had never dabbled in or read anything about palmistry. He didn't know the meaning of it. He confusedly asked: "What?"

The old man was solemn: "I see that your life line is very different from most ordinary people. At the beginning of it, there is already a large gap; means that there was a terrible disaster when you were young. It was so horrible that most of your friends and family were involved in it; only a slim chance of survival! It seems like your parents had unfortunately passed away during that disaster."

Shirou's heart was sour, but he now believed the old man completely. He said sadly: "Elder, you are a living god! You are completely right."

The old man sighed before continuing: "Originally, you couldn't escape from this disaster, but there was a mote of good fortune in your life. Between the gaps of your life line, there is a 'new jade square'. It continues your life line and continues your life; a great fortune in a sea of misfortune."

PuZhi's face suddenly floated into Shirou's mind. He gritted his teeth; was silent for a moment. He said, "Today, elder has said that I am in great danger. Please, tell me if it is good or bad!"

The old man smiled, then he coughed: "This, this…"

Shirou frowned and asked: "What is it, elder?"

The celestial man smiled: "I'm not trying to hide it from young man; but, when I started this business, I made it a rule that I must receive payment when giving divinations, so…"

Shirou realized his intent and quickly asked: "Then, elder, how much is it?"

The old man looked at him and smiled: "It is ten silvers each time."

Shirou visibly staggered. He put his hand at his waist and felt around. He paused; most of his money had been lost during the misadventures in Cave of Fangs. He had been fortunate enough to find some money while walking back to the main road.

Shirou said: "That's quite expensive, however, I only have four silvers."

The old man frowned: "Very well, let it be four silvers then. I see that fate has allowed us to know each other; I will help you this time."

Shirou smiled at his fortune. The silvers were not very useful for him anyways; could always survive in the wild. He gave the man the four silvers.

The elder placed the money into a secure spot in his robe and examined Shirou's face seriously: "Young man, I see that your glabella is black; dark forces above your head. Your luck isn't too good. If you advance here, there will be a lot of danger. Why don't you return later; then, everything will be fine."

Shirou was surprised: "That's it?"

The old man nodded: "Correct."

Shirou hesitated: "But I have an important affair to the east…"

The elder tried to convince him: "Young man, what could possibly be more important than your own life; it is better to return later." Then, he gave a respectful salute, "We met each other here; fate allowed it to happen. We will see each other again in the future. Farewell."

Shirou frowned and nodded absently. He watched as the old man and his granddaughter disappeared into the crowd of people. Shirou was standing there; seemed to have lost his direction.

At the corner of the street, the old man and little girl hid and stuck out their heads. They looked at Shirou; that young man who stood among the stream of people. He seemed lost. After a while, he turned and walked away.

That seemed to be a cue; the old man's attitude suddenly changed. He took out the four silvers from his robe and laughed like a drunk.

His respectful bearing had instantly disappeared. He said: "Ho, ho! Another four silvers."

The little girl remained calm and peered at her grandfather. It seemed that she was used to this kind of behavior: "Grandpa, why are you doing this again?"

The old man laughed and pocketed the silvers. He smiled at his granddaughter: "XiaoHuan, you are a really useful granddaughter. Not even ten years old yet and you can already see through the past life. When the time comes, you will be a very outstanding talent in divination."

XiaoHuan snorted: "I can't see how those easy books could be so difficult. It is clear that grandpa didn't work hard in the past; yet, you still have the nerve to talk about it."

The one with actual talent and skill was XiaoHuan. She read a little about Shirou's fortune and secretly told her grandfather when there was a chance.

The old man clearly doted on his granddaughter; he didn't care about what she said. He smiled: "Don't underestimate the books that your grandpa gave to you. Those tomes were passed down from our QingYun ancestors. That means you are gifted at divination. Other people - ho, ho – me for example, can't figure out the meaning behind the words; couldn't figure out what the book was talking about for my entire life."

XiaoHuan cursed her grandfather and turned around. She saw that Shirou was already gone. Turning back, she said to the elder: "You said that his future is filled with terrible danger. What was that?"

The old man giggled: "Of course, I was lying to him. But you're the one who can read fortunes; is he really going to suffer disaster?"

XiaoHuan shook her head: "I can only read 'Past Fortunes.' As for 'Future Fortunes' I only know a little; can't be sure about it!"

However, the old man didn't seem to be disappointed; he nodded: "Correct, Past Fortunes are fixed; cannot change. Of course, it would be easy. Future Fortunes have unknown and unfixed variables of the future. It is the highest level of divination; no way was it going to be easy."

The little girl shrugged and walked with her grandfather; "But, from what I can see, that person's fortune is very awkward. It is 'Chaos'; the books said that it is the most difficult to predict. That kind of life is very rare."

"No need to bother with him anymore; we got the money anyways. Come, your grandpa will bring you to eat…"

"Oh… right, grandpa. You mentioned Master QingYun. You've always said that our ancestor was from QingYun; why don't you go there and tell them about it? With the status QingYun holds today – and your age – wouldn't you have good food anything you want?"

"Shush…" The old man was surprised; his eyes widened. He quickly silenced the little girl, looked around and saw that no one had heard them. He was relieved.

The elder whispered: "What does a little girl, like you, know? QingYun is the best cultivation faction in the world; all we know is a little divination from Master QingYun. If we go there mindlessly, they are probably going to think that we are scammers; jail us for several hundred years. Besides…"

He smiled. The celestial and regal bearing that he possessed when talking to Shirou had returned: "I, Zhou YiXian, am not the type of person to abuse my status."

XiaoHuan startled; her face seemed to light up with adoration. She said happily: "Wow! Grandpa, I never expected you to have such morals. It's really…"

"Ah!"

But she was cut off. Before she could finish, Zhou YiXian's eyes brightened. He stepped forth and stopped a rich looking, fat woman. He solemnly said: "Madam, I see that you have dark energy above your head. Your glabella is black; death on your face. Something terrible is going to happen! Would you allow me to give you a divination? How about it?"

XiaoHuan was stunned and her eyes deadpanned. But her grandfather kept giving her a look. All she could do was pretend to be naïve and cute. She carefully examined that rich, fat woman's face.

* * *

Shirou walked across the street; he had unwittingly left the small town. He was delayed by Zhou YiXian's scheme while he was in the town. With chaotic thoughts swarming in his mind, Shirou discovered that it was already dusk; he had forgotten to meet with the elder and JuShi.

The sun shined at a slanted angled; painted the night sky with bright red fire. It pulled at his shadow. It was already night; every person had already returned home. There was no one outside of the town. Only he was there; very lonely.

He looked at his own shadow; his heart was frustrated.

From what he heard from Wan RenWang; all of the noble factions were sent to the Billow's Eastern Sea. He guessed that his master, Tian BuYi, would probably be there along with the rest of the residents of Bamboo Peak. But today he met an 'old immortal' that told him to not go there. It seemed that he had been having rather auspicious encounters recently.

RenWang told him that his path was foolish; he would be alone and despised.

The elder told him that his path would lead to great tragedy; he could only imagine the consequences.

Was the price he would have to pay to save lives truly this great?

Since he had escaped from KongSang Mountain's Forsaken Abyss, he wished to see his master and fellow disciples as soon as possible to tell them he was safe. However, someone had told him to turn back today. His mind faltered. The request that he had taken earlier seemed like a gift from the heavens to lighten his mind.

While he stewed in his thoughts, there were suddenly footsteps coming from behind him. Shirou turned around and saw it was the large man JuShi; he had left the small town and was waving to him.

The large man seemed happy to find him, "Ah! Shirou _shixiong_!"

Shirou smiled at the monk: "JuShi _shixiong_."

JuShi nodded and smiled: "This monk was worried. After finishing his meal, Shirou _shixiong_ was nowhere to be found; the chief was very concerned. However, I assured him that a member of QingYun wouldn't abandon them so easily. Seems like I was correct!"

"_Shixiong_ is too kind. We haven't met before and already he thinks so highly of me. I do not deserve it."

JuShi just laughed: "You are truly QingYun; humble and dignified. Do not worry about the elder; I have taken care of it. He was thankful that we didn't require any payment, but he insisted that we each take a hundred silvers for our troubles. He said that the money will be given once we have eliminated the demon."

Shirou nodded and smiled: "That is good."

JuShi smiled: "Then, Shirou _shixiong_, are you ready to set out?"

Shirou noted that it was dark; however, the fox spirit would probably be the most active around this time. He nodded: "JuShi _shixiong_ is very wise. Did the village chief tell you where to go?"

JuShi nodded: "Yes. The chief said that Dark Drake Cave is ten miles to the north. Uh, with the sun setting, it should be west. Then… it should be that way!"

Shirou chuckled at the large man's antics. The two set off towards Dark Drake Cave.

* * *

Dark Drake Cave was located in the woods ten miles north of Laguna Collective. On the way there, Shirou and JuShi had gotten used to each other's names during the conversation. Shirou was an honest and truthful person. Even though JuShi was imposing, he was not rude. He was a kind, passive and also an honest person. The two of them were soon calling each other's names directly.

The sky began to darken; the remaining sunlight weakly scattered at the ground.

Shirou noticed that the woods were getting thicker; they were probably going to arrive at the forest soon. He called out: "JuShi."

The large man answered: "What?"

"Today, in the morning, I couldn't help but notice your presence. You seem very strong and powerful; could it be that you belong to the Fu cultivation faction, TianYin temple?"

Surprise and admiration flashed through JuShi's eyes. He said: "Shirou, you really live up to the QingYun name. Your eyes are discerning."

Shirou waved off the compliment.

"You are correct that I practice Fu cultivation, however, I do not practice TianYin Temple's Brahman Wisdom. My clan, JangGang, has very few people; normally there is only just one disciple per generation. My master, the Herald of Valor, encountered me in a small, remote village. He said that my courageous heart was perfect for practicing JangGang's cultivation.

"He said that, back in ancient times, JangGang was derived from Fu cultivation and enjoyed a great relationship with other clans. However, time distances all things; no one remembers anything. After many generations, the incantation has become very different. We cannot compare to TianYin Temple's Brahman Wisdom; that is the true Fu cultivation."

Then, JuShi smiled: "My master said that, although my cultivation is not high, as a cultivator I must do good deeds. If I encounter any demons, I must get rid of them."

Shirou nodded and smiled: "Your master is quite wise."

JuShi nodded: "Yeah, my master is very righteous."

Shirou smiled quietly, but he remembered the conversation between him and Wan RenWang. He thought to himself that this was an example of true righteousness. Helping ordinary folk and destroying demons; there was no distinction between good or bad here. It was simply just.

Shirou had turned silent, mulling over his thoughts. JuShi assumed that his companion was being vigilant since they were getting closer to Dark Drake Cave. He didn't mind it; he also searched through the surrounds and prepared to battle the fox spirit.

Then, the sky finally darkened.

When the first star faded in from the edge of the sky, the two had arrived outside of the forest.

JuShi took a deep breath and told Shirou, "I heard the chief say this: Dark Drake Cave is inside of this forest. The cave is rich with various black stones. In the past, the local residents often came here and used the stones to repair the road. Of course, they can't go here now. The cave is unpredictably deep. We need to be careful."

Shirou nodded. He was starting to hate caves. However, there was no way that this cave would be deeper than the Forsaken Abyss in KongSang Mountain's Cave of Fangs. The two prepared themselves to venture forth. Just as they were about to step into the dangerous place, they suddenly heart a panicked cry about ten yards away from them.

"Ouch!"

They startled and turned towards the source of the sound. Shirou was very surprised. There were two people running towards them from their right. They were the ones who had given him a divination earlier during the day. The little girl was perfectly fine, but the old man was gasping for air. Where had that dignified and celestial bearing gone?

Shirou stopped in front of them and said: "What happened to you two?"

Zhou YiXian was in a hurry and suddenly saw a person appeared before him. He was surprised, but he was relieved to find that it was the silly boy from earlier. He looked back and saw that the road was quiet; no sign of anyone. He exhaled a long breath and stopped his frantic pace. He told his granddaughter, XiaoHuan: "XiaoHuan, we can stop running now; seems like that person didn't follow us."

XiaoHuan was breathing heavily, but her hand was still holding onto a candied haw. It appeared that she really loved the sweet. After she heard what YiXian said, she stopped running after a small distance. She bent over, gasping for air.

JuShi arrived next to Shirou; the old man and young girl were like homeless dogs. He asked: "What is it?"

Shirou didn't have an answer to the tall man; he was asking the same question. However, before he could speak, XiaoHuan was already complaining loudly: "It is all because of you, grandpa! Scamming that fat woman wasn't enough; you still went to that young lady. I already saw that she was extremely sharp. You thought we could trick her?"

Zhou YiXian angrily said, "You didn't tell me this earlier! It got me, your grandpa, slapped by that woman. It still hurts right now. If I didn't have our ancestor's secret art, Earthen Retreat, we would have already…"

Before he could finish, there was a suddenly a clear shout from the night sky: "Old scammer, come out. Let me see where you are!"

Everyone was surprised. A beam of white light dashed towards Zhou YiXian from the sky like a strike of lightning. YiXian didn't know any cultivation despite his heritage, and, since he was unprepared, he didn't have the time to use any of his tricks. He was about to get his by that white light.

Shirou couldn't ignore it; he knew the old man a little and it seemed that whoever they had made mad was powerful. Although, that being said, he felt like he was scammed by them. At this moment, he could care much about it. With a wave of his hand, several gray blades were projected in the space in front of the old man. They crossed over each other and formed a thick, round shield for YiXian.

"Bang!"

There was a loud noise; the white light was blocked. A surprised female voice came from the air. After the white light disappeared, a lady landed on the ground before them.

After that, Shirou was stunned. The lady wore a watery green dress; a little golden bell hung at her waist and made pleasant clear ringing sounds; a jade, clear, white flower was held between her fingers. At this moment, her face was smiling. She longer cared about Zhou YiXian, but her pair of bright eyes were looking at Shirou like he was the only thing on the road.

She laughed softly; her voice was melodious and sweet: "So timely, Shirou."

Who could this be but the Mo girl, BiYao?"

* * *

Shirou startled; he didn't expect to meet BiYao again so soon. He didn't want to admit it, but after going through life and death with her in Forsaken Abyss's DiXue Cave, he was left with some feelings similar to the ones he had for LingEr. He could only rub the back of his head with embarrassment.

He said: "BiYao, how come you are here?"

JuShi noticed that Shirou was acting a bit strange. He asked: "Shirou, who is this person."

Shirou knew that he couldn't simply tell JuShi the truth behind the girl's identity. While he and BiYao were good friends and shared a deep bond, the rest of the noble cultivators would not take a QingYun and a Mo having such a friendly relationship well. His mind worked quickly to come up with an excuse.

In the end, Shirou said: "She is BiYao, a girl that I met on my last trip out of the QingYun Mountains."

BiYao smiled: "Shirou, with all that we went through together, is that all you can say about me? Am I just a random girl that you met?"

This woman was purposefully baiting him!

Shirou could only deadpan back to BiYao. The girl had a cheeky smile on her face.

JuShi saw the two's interaction and a weird smile came across his face. He suddenly whispered to Shirou's ears: "Shirou, I see that your expression isn't clear. Do you perhaps have a relationship with that lady?"

Shirou's eyes widened in shock and his face blushed. He quickly said: "You can't speak unreasonable things like this! I… I have no relationship with her!"

BiYao had always been smiling tenderly at him, but, after hearing what he said, her face turned sour. She seemed to remember that Shirou had been taken by that witch he called his _shijie_, LingEr. Her face darkened and she laughed coldly: "Correct. Why would someone like me have any relationship with this shameless, dirty thing?"

Everyone startled. They thought about BiYao's delighted surprise and tender expressions when she looked at Shirou. Now, the girl had turned completely around in the blink of an eye. With the words 'shameless' and 'dirty' being said, people were looking at Shirou with a strange look.

Shirou at least understood this and his face flushed with embarrassment. He didn't know how to explain the situation. Anyone else would've probably thought that this was an argument between a couple. Everyone smiled.

Shirou turned towards BiYao again. Even though her expression was frosty and cold, there was no hatred in her eyes; they twinkled in mischief.

What an infuriating woman.

JuShi looked at the sky and told Shirou: "Shirou _shidi_, it's getting late. We should get going."

Shirou was quite eager to leave this embarrassing situation; he quickly opened his mouth to answer. But, as he spoke, BiYao suddenly shouted: "Old scammer, stand still for me!"

Shirou and JuShi turned around and discovered that Zhou YiXian and XiaoHuan were trying to sneak away; they were spotted by BiYao. The Heart Lotus in BiYao's hand started glowing again with white light. The chilling energy and surprised Shirou; he immediately stopped walking. He asked: "Wait, wait. How did they offend you!"

BiYao eyes frowned and she glared at Shirou. Seems like she was angry; said coldly: "None of your business!"

Shirou backpedaled from her direct rejection. However, Zhou YiXian had already endured BiYao's wrath for a long time. Now that there was a person who was willing to stand up for him, he capitalized on the opportunity.

The old man said: "Young man, you must save me. When I was in the small town, I gave this lady a divination from the kindness of my heart, but she ignored the truth I provided. When it didn't align with her wishes, she began to use violence…"

BiYao angrily said: "Lies, you old scammer; your mouth is filled with lies. Scamming money from people, now you frame it on me! You're asking for it!"

Then she moved her hand and the white light of her Heart Lotus brightened; shined the surroundings like the morning sun. Seeing that she was about to attack, Shirou hurriedly said: "BiYao, wait."

But it seemed that BiYao didn't hear him. After a second, Heart Lotus left her hand and flashed in mid-air. In just an instant, the Esper left out a soft sound; the intensity of the bright white light caused the moon and stars to lose their color. The sky was filled with bright, shining petals; their strong fragrance was sweet to the nose.

It was a beautiful scene, but, in Zhou YiXian's eyes, it was like seeing a ghost. His face turned sheet white. He immediately grabbed his granddaughter and started running; his right hand reached into his clothes and took out a small piece of yellow paper. It looked similar to Dao talismans used for capturing ghosts.

Shirou knew the power of BiYao's Esper; YiXian, on the other hand, didn't seem to know any cultivation. He only had a pitiful yellow talisman. Shirou stepped forward and stood in front of the old man. He traced Kanshou and Bakuya; helped Zhou YiXian by deflecting Heart Lotus.

BiYao frowned as she saw Shirou suddenly appear. A beautiful smile flashed across her face; the flowers in the sky suddenly stopped in mid-air and danced before Shirou. Her face was smiling but her voice was frigid: "Shirou, what are you doing?"

Shirou looked at her; shivered at her tone. His heart was a little scared at this point. He said: "They're not cultivators. Why are making this so difficult for them; can you let them go?"

BiYao hesitated for a moment; Then, she huffed; waved her hand. The small lights in the sky flew back to her palm and reformed into a jade white flower. It was still radiant even under the moon and stars.

The Mo girl said: "Why don't you ask him what happened then?"

Shirou was curious, so he turned around and began to ask YiXian. At first, Zhou YiXian was still trying to cover the truth, but BiYao kept interrupting him whenever he started to lie. Eventually, Shirou and JuShi understood what happened. After YiXian had successfully scammed the rich, fat woman, his greedy heart noticed that BiYao's clothing was expensive. He went to her without caring that XiaoHuan's eyes were trying to signal him to stop.

But BiYao was extremely intelligent; couldn't be compared to ordinary people. How could she be fooled so easily? In the beginning, XiaoHuan correctly divined BiYao's past. But BiYao kept asking for more details. XiaoHuan couldn't directly tell her grandfather the divination, so YiXian made up some stuff and his lies were immediately spotted. BiYao turned enraged and was going to teach the two scammers a lesson.

Zhou YiXian realized his peril. Though he knew nothing about cultivation, he still possessed some life-saving techniques; passed down from his ancestors in QingYun. He used the art of Earthen Retreat to escape for a moment, but his skill was not high enough; he was unable to control the direction. He coincidentally landed near Shirou and JuShi.

BiYao had not expected the old man to do that, but she was the GuiWang Archlord's only daughter after all; such a simple trick could not deceive her. With a single spell, she discerned the old man's location. Then, in the blink of an eye, she went after him.

Shirou was stunned by the story. His face schooled into a neutral expression; he stared at Zhou YiXian: "So, my dangerous future that you told me this morning, that is fake?"

The old man rolled his eyes, but before he had the chance to speak, BiYao had already laughed: "So, you also fell for his trap!"

The laughter immediately melted her icy visage; Shirou was a bit embarrassed. He thought that helping this old scammer wasn't worth it. He straightened his face and walked away. The golden-eyed boy then said: "JuShi _shixiong_, we should go into the forest; that is more important."

Zhou YiXian's face paled and his heart complained. His net of safety had abandoned him.

JuShi startled, but he nodded. He ignored the other people and entered the woods with Shirou. BiYao blinked and asked: "This forest is filled with evil energy; what are you two doing?"

Shirou answered: "We're going in there to get rid of a demon."

Then, he pulled JuShi and entered the forest at a quick pace. JuShi turned his head and looked at BiYao and the old man; then, he followed Shirou. The scene turned quiet instantly. BiYao's face turned cold again and turned to YiXian. The old man immediately held up his hands before his chest. He was ready to defend himself, though, if he could actually manage to was another story.

Unexpectedly, BiYao didn't attack. The woman pondered for a moment and asked YiXian: "Do you know what they're doing in there?"

YiXian startled. He was also in the Laguna Collective; he knew what they were doing. He said: "Of course, the Dark Drake Cave lies inside of the forest. A three-tailed fox spirit lives there. They're going to get rid of it for the Laguna Collective. Why do you ask?"

BiYao snorted and lowered her eyes. Her face scrunched in a frown and her eyes seemed concerned: "With his cultivation, such a demon shouldn't be an issue. However, I still can't…"

YiXian saw that the woman was lost in thought; a great opportunity that he couldn't let go. He took his granddaughter's hand and stealthily walked away. When BiYao's returned from her mind, the two scammers were already far gone. Only the shadows of their backs remained.

With BiYao's skill, catching up to them would be a piece of cake; however, it seemed like she had no intention to do so. Instead, she turned and stared blankly at the darkening forest under the radiant moon.

* * *

Shirou and JuShi entered the forest. The woods were tall and lush and blocked the moonlight; caused the forest to become dark. As they walked, their surroundings were silent. In the depths of the forest, there was a veil of thin fog.

They looked at each other; JuShi whispered: "Be careful."

Shirou nodded. He projected Kanshou and Bakuya; JuShi summoned a large golden staff. The imposing man's Esper rested on his back and glowed with a solemn golden light. The word 'Shatterer' was carved onto its length.

The two carefully advanced.

After a while of walking, the ancient trees seemed to tower to the skies. Waves of dark, Yin energy surrounded them and saturated the atmosphere. It seemed like they had arrived at the deepest parts of the forest. At that moment, they suddenly heard a lady's soft and mournful voice coming from the fog.

"Small pine hill, moon-like frost,

"Hurt like a wandering flower,

"Few decades, three thousand years,

"Wish we could still remember each other even as we separated."

The female voice was delicate; softly whispering. Though they couldn't see the owner of the voice, they could feel the despair and sadness coming from her. Shirou and JuShi looked at each other; their faces changed. It was deep into the night. In this desolate place, the voice most likely belonged to the fox spirit. The two cautiously walked toward the sound.

The thin veil of fog swallowed them.

Not long after they entered, a green figure appeared at the spot they had just stood. Looking at the fog in the darkness, she frowned. She pondered for a moment and then entered the fog.

The color of the night dimly shone through the woods. A few lines of moonlight passed through the gaps of the leaves and shined at the wood; softly waggling.

Around them, they could only hear the sound of insects.

Suddenly, JuShi grabbed Shirou's shoulder. Shirou was surprised; he said: "What?"

JuShi quietly said: "Listen."

Shirou paid attention; he heard a soft sigh coming from ahead.

A beam of moonlight, like a beacon in the darkness. A line of cold moon, softly shining at the fog; flowing without direction. A lady in pure white slowly came out from the depths of the darkness. She stood under the light and gazed at them with a gentle look.

Shirou and JuShi held their breath.

She was a gentle and charming lady. Long and straight strands of beautiful white hair laid on her shoulders; soft as silk. On her demure face, there was a pair of graceful eyebrows, a delicate nose, tight red lips. Two fluffy white fox ears rested atop her head; three fur tails of the same color gently swayed behind her. Her watery eyes looked at them as if they could see through their hearts.

She was heart-wrenchingly beautiful; the kind of girl that could make people feel her sorrow. She timidly stood there; standing under the moonlight staring at them. It was as if she was made from the pale moon; a ghost.

Time seemed to stop at that moment.

"You… have you come to kill me?" She asked; her voice ghostly.

Shirou and JuShi were surprised. JuShi bit his lip and stabilized his mind. He shouted: "Are you the demon they call the three-tailed fox spirit?"

Her watery eyes swept across JuShi and then Shirou's face. Shirou felt like his face was touched by a cold, ghostly hand.

He was surprised. He couldn't imagine that there could be such a bewitching woman; an inhuman, chilling presence.

She didn't answer; her eyebrows frowned and her ears folded in grief. It was like a line of sorrow was carved between her eyebrows.

She looked at the moon again. The bright moon was flawless, hanging in the sky.

"It is me." She said with an ethereal voice.

* * *

The night was dark. It seemed like there was something hiding in the darkness behind her.

JuShi's face darkened. The large golden staff, Shatterer, glowed with golden light in his hand. It turned the nearby woods into gold. Shirou stood next to him and took a deep breath. Kanshou and Bakuya were ready.

The lady didn't react to their aggression. She glanced at them and walked softly to the side. She softly waved her snow-white sleeve; the bushes moved away and showed a well. Looking at it from a distance, they could see moss on the well's stones. It appeared that the well was very old.

She walked next to the well and looked down. She softly combed her hair with her hand.

They didn't dare to move; watched the strange actions the fox spirit was doing.

The solemn lady's voice drifted in the forest: "This is a three-thousand-year-old well. Legend says: If you look into the well with a sincere wish during a full moon, your wish will be realized. But, since I've arrived here, I've looked into it three times. Why then? Why is his illness still not getting better?"

Shirou and JuShi were stunned. From her tone, she seemed to be a grieving lady trapped by love. However, JuShi was the first to recover. He frowned and stepped forth. A rising wind began to howl in the forest.

The monk angrily said: "Shameless demon, you dare bewitch the people! Hurry, come here and receive your death!"

The lady turned around; her watery eyes glanced at them. She ignored JuShi but stared at Shirou. Suddenly, she softly said: "In your heart, is there a girl you deeply miss? Come and have a look."

The wind passed through the forest; the chill got heavier.

The treetops were rustling.

Shirou's face frowned, but his heart and soul were screaming in delight. Unwittingly, he took a step forward to the well.

JuShi was surprised. Without saying anything, he rose up in the air. Shatterer's golden light glared and the staff whistled in the air. It slammed down and tried to crush that lady's head. With such power, even a tough man will be crushed into pulp.

The lady's body was like a fallen leaf; blown by the strong wind generated by Shatterer and floated backward. She dodged the earth-shattering strike. After that, she floated in the air and opened her arms. After a moment, the evil energy in the air became very strong; howling of the demonic wind. At the same moment, in the darkness behind her, countless large eyes opened.

JuShi was occupied. There were countless wild howls; many dark, black, vicious shadows came out from the darkness. They passed the lady's white figure and rushed towards the monk with their fangs and claws.

However, that lady wasn't looking at JuShi, her gentle eyes were looking at Shirou. The entranced boy was walking to the ancient well step by step.

In the depths of his soul, is there a person he missed deeply?

His mind was not his own.

"Shirou!" A cry came from behind. BiYao appeared and quickly flew to him in a hurry: "Do not look!"

At that instant, Shirou startled awake. The solemn lady watching him frowned a little.

But then, he still looked into the well.

He looked in deeply.

The howling wind stopped; everyone held their breath.

What did he see?

JuShi roared and batted away the monsters. His large body raised the Esper, Shatterer; a red glow flashed on his face like all his blood was rushing out. He charged up into the air and fell down like a loosened arrow. Shatterer pierced the earth and his mouth let out a heaven-shocking roar at the same time.

"Shatter!"

It seemed like time had stopped at that instant.

The earth within two yards of the staff sunk along with the trees. It was like a giant invisible hand pulled everything underground. Only the ground near the well where Shirou was standing wasn't affected.

Shatterer seemed to absorb something when it entered the ground; the entire staff was shining brightly. As JuShi shouted the word, 'Shatter', countless beams of light came out from the ground. They struck the black shadowy beasts floating in mid-air like divine judgement. At that moment, pitiful screams lingered at their ears. Some of the dark beasts fell to the ground; others disappeared.

The solemn lady's face changed, her face became pale: "Absorbing the earth and tree's energy… Shatterer's Staff!"

JuShi finished dealing with the monsters. His first action was to glance at Shirou. BiYao had also landed and stood near Shirou.

Shirou raised his head. His face scrunched up in confusion. When his mind returned to him, his face schooled itself into a stoic expression. He faced the gentle lady floating in mid-air.

That lady looked deeply at him and suddenly asked: "What did you see?"

* * *

Far away, in the darkness of the woods, Zhou YiXian and XiaoHuan stealthily hid behind a large tree; watched the people in the scene.

XiaoHuan frowned and whispered: "Grandpa, you didn't escape. Instead, you decided to come back to this dangerous place and watch the show. Why?"

YiXian's eyes were still looking at the scene. He whispered: "I've heard that there are treasures lying in the demon's cave. But I couldn't do anything about it in the past, now, since there are so many people to help open a path for us, why not come back here and take a look. Maybe we can get something good."

XiaoHuan's face dropped in disappointment. She said impatiently: "What if we run into a monster instead of treasure?"

YiXian turned and chuckled: "It doesn't matter. Your grandpa has QingYun's founder, Master QingYun's, secret art of Earthen Retreat, Water Retreat, and Mile Retreat; peerless mystic arts. It will definitely not be a problem…"

Quietly, XiaoHuan said: "Boo… They're clearly used for escaping if your scamming fails. You call those peerless mystic arts!"

YiXian didn't pay attention to what his granddaughter said. He proudly said: "Didn't you read your grandpa's fortune before? You said that grandpa's forehead was plump; money mark between the eyebrows; thick wealth line. They are all symbols of great fortune. Ho, ho, tonight it will become true. XiaoHuan, grandpa is very confident in your divination skills!"

"…"

"Eh?" YiXian was surprised as he turned back to look at the scene. At that moment, Shirou was fighting the gentle lady with Kanshou and Bakuya. The married blades glistened under the full moon.

"Pure Essence! This boy is a QingYun. Those blades as well… Seems like that boy was lying about only having four silvers."

"What?" XiaoHuan was immediately interested and also watched the fight. Both sides battled relentlessly; the loud screams of demons echoed through the woods. She asked her grandfather: "So, he has the same ancestor as us. Is he strong?"

Zhou YiXian was watching with concentration; the greedy smile on his face was gone. His face was calm; eyebrows frowned. He said: "This boy is quite young, but his power seems to have already reached YuQing Realm's seventh level. That's odd."

XiaoHuan glanced at YiXian. Most people didn't know, but, despite YiXian's avarice, he was well experienced and knowledgeable. She said: "I didn't notice that he was such a prodigy."

YiXian was silent for a moment and shook his head: "This boy's magical potential and strength is ludicrous; a genius on the level of Master QinYe. From basic reasoning, with his potential, he should be farther along in cultivation!"

XiaoHuan was stunned; couldn't say anything. She continued to watch.

JuShi was shouting angrily on the ground; gold light shining and scaring off the dark monsters. Shirou threw the first pair of Kanshou and Bakuya at that lovely lady. He traced another set of the married blades and rushed to the white figure.

_Spirit and technique, flawless and firm._

The fox spirit looked at him with her watery eyes. With a wave of her white sleeve, she deflected the two thrown falchions. Shirou was charging at her. In just an instant, they were within striking distance.

Shirou was resolved; that lady's extremely beautiful face was only a foot away from him. A faint fragrance dusted his nose. Her soul touching eyes were as beautiful as agate emeralds in the night light. They reflected his figure; his heart couldn't help but be moved. He hesitated.

"What did you see in the well?" Even at this crucial moment, that lady's voice was still gentle and lovely. It softly entered his ears.

Shirou's mind was almost taken, but suddenly a gold light flashed on his face and woke him.

The three-tails fox spirit frowned. Shirou shouted and slashed at the beautiful woman, however, it was already too late. In his trance, the first pair of Kanshou and Bakuya had already been caught by some dark beasts. Crane-Wing Three Realm had already failed. The fox spirit waved her arm and a gust of wind blew the auburn-haired boy away from her.

Shirou shouted in surprised and landed next to JuShi on the ground.

JuShi glanced at him; said with some sorry: "Be careful, this demon's hexing curse is quite strong."

Shirou's heart was beating rapidly. He nodded in thanks. In the sky, the three-tails fox spirit was standing in mid-air. Her dress fluttered with the wind like a matchless beauty from a painting.

From far away, Zhou YiXian frowned. He was also surprised. He said: "This boy's mental strength is very strong! He can stay conscious despite the three-tailed fox spirit's hexing curse!"

XiaoHuan curled her lips: "So what? Don't you see that that big guy is also the same?"

YiXian said: "What do you know. That big guy is a Fu cultivator. Fu is all about nirvana; they naturally have resistance to these enchanting or hexing curses. But QingYun is Dao cultivation; they are much weaker in this field. It's really rare that this boy can have such mental stability with that kind of cultivation!"

"Really?" XiaoHuan thought for a moment. They both turned back towards the scene.

The three-tailed fox spirit slowly landed from the air. Though her face was still smiling, her eyes were getting heavier. From the fierce battle she just had, she could tell that the people in front of her were strong despite their young age. Also, that large figure seemed to come from a Fu branch; quite a pain.

The other man's mind was unexpectedly stable. Even her most useful hexing curse didn't have much of a hold.

BiYao was standing to the side; about to make her move. After seeing that Shirou had recovered, she stopped and watched the lady coldly.

The cold moonlight passed through the leaves and fell on that gentle lady's lonely figure.

Solemn and sorrowful.

The white figure lowered her head; her long eyelashes seemed like they covered her vulnerable heart. Her ears folded onto her head, but they were listening to the sounds of the forest in the dark night. She said softly: "I have done nothing to you. Why do you want to kill me?"

JuShi stepped forth like a fierce tiger and shouted: "Demon, you harmed the people; caused unrest for Laguna Collective! Aren't you supposed to die?"

She raised up her eyes and looked at them. The wind softly came by and blew her clothes.

"You kill me because I am a demon?" She looked at Shirou intently: "What about you; what is your reason?"

Shirou answered: "You have killed people. I will get rid of such harmful evil without hesitation!"

The three-tailed fox spirit was silent for a while. Then, she suddenly smiled lightly: "Young man, how old are you?"

Shirou startled and frowned: "Why do you ask?"

She held up her hand and combed the long white hair by her temples with her finger: "Those words, they must have been from your heart. Demons like us are often harmful to the people; we must be removed, right?"

Shirou frowned, those were his thoughts. Demons only hurt and kill.

The three-tailed fox spirit continued: "But what if I told you those words are wrong. What would you think?"

Shirou snorted and was about to move. But, at that instant, the conversation between him and Wan RenWang flashed in his mind. He was shocked by lightning.

These things that I know must be correct, right?"

What is true law; what is true justice?

"Careful!" Suddenly, JuShi shouted. The howl of the evil wind rose.

The three-tailed fox spirit suddenly dashed at Shirou when the boy was lost in thought. Her hand formed into claws. JuShi roared and was about to help, but a countless number of red demonic eyes sparkled in the darkness. The beasts attacked him and he couldn't spare any time to worry about Shirou.

The white lady noticed that Shirou was the only one affected by her hexing curse. Thus, she decided to use the shadowy monsters to hold JuShi off while she used her full strength to finish off Shirou.

However, the golden-eyed boy quickly snapped back to attention. He briefly shook his head to remove useless thoughts. If his _shiniang_ found out that he spaced out in the middle of battle, he would be scolded fiercely. Before those sharp claws could make contact with him, he raised Kanshou and Bakuya.

At the next moment, her sharp claws hit those two swords.

No one was able to describe such a feeling. There was no earth shocking bang like they had expected. At that seemingly frozen moment, the lady floated in mid-air, her claw-like fingers held themselves against those blades.

Her snow-white skin suddenly lost all its color; so pale that it seemed transparent.

Before her, a scalding sensation. It was like her entire being was ripping apart.

She screamed mournfully to the sky. She turned into a white light and dashed far away from those married blades.

Then, she turned around quickly. With a surprisingly fierce look, she glared at those two swords.

From a distance, XiaoHuan gasped: "Very powerful Esper… What are those, grandpa?"

She asked twice but realized that Zhou YiXian didn't answer. She turned to her grandfather and noticed that his eyebrows frowned together tightly.

XiaoHuan was surprised and pulled at YiXian: "Grandpa, what's wrong with you?"

YiXian shivered, woke up from what just happened; his face was shocked. He murmured: "Who is this boy? How does QingYun have such a powerful disciple?"

XiaoHuan glanced at him and said: "What?"

YiXian looked at the scene: "That boy's Esper is very powerful; has a strong alignment with good. When he summoned them, the positive energy in his swords already surpassed the three-tailed fox spirit's evil. It feels like they are made to kill demons and monsters."

Unknown to both Shirou and Zhou YiXian, Kanshou and Bakuya did have a natural alignment with good. When Shirou traced the blades into existence, the Noble Phantasms already eclipsed the fox-spirits own presence. However, it was because of Shirou's actual Esper, Celestial Tear, that the projection degradation was nullified and the anti-monster aspects of the falchions were restored.

XiaoHuan's mouth dropped and returned to watch the fight. Suddenly, she caught something with the corner of her eye. She whispered to YiXian, "Grandpa, look at that woman."

Zhou YiXian startled and followed to where his granddaughter was pointing. There he saw the woman in the watery green dress, BiYao, standing silently to the side. JuShi was in a heated battle with the shadowy beasts, but BiYao paid him no heed. Instead, her eyes were fixed to Shirou.

When Shirou traced the set of Kanshou and Bakuya, her face had a strange expression. She seemed curious but also glad.

Zhou YiXian replied after a few glances: "That woman likes that sword; what are you looking at, stupid girl!"

XiaoHuan was curious: "What sword?"

YiXian replied: "That boy."

"Weird, why does she like that boy? Why can't I see that?"

YiXian glared at her and was about to teach his premature and disobedient granddaughter a lesson, but he heard something happen. He quickly turned back and ignored XiaoHuan.

Shirou charged at the white lady. The color of the night got heavier and the wind got faster. On that lady's gentle face, two delicate eyebrows locked together. She shouted softly and her white fingers formed together like a knife. She sliced down.

"Ah!"

The sudden scream was like a needle piercing through their ears.

Numerous ghostly lights came out from the dark forest. Behind the woman, waves of monsters with ghastly, hideous looks screamed and rushed Shirou.

In the blink of an eye, Shirou was almost overwhelmed by the sheer number of evil beasts.

Everyone was terrified, but, in the next moment, Shirou began to cut his way through the black sea of monsters with Kanshou and Bakuya. The married blades possess strong anti-monster capabilities and eradicated the dark things with a single slice. However, there were just so many of them that Shirou still had trouble advancing.

The three-tailed fox spirit saw that Shirou was still advancing despite the countless number of monsters that she sent after him. Her face continued to pale.

JuShi roared and slammed his staff on the ground again. This time, the range of destruction was much greater. The demon destroying gold light from earlier shot out from the ground.

In the sea of black, many of the monsters that surrounded JuShi had vanished; most of the remaining ones were scared away.

JuShi landed on the ground and took a heavy breath. Clearly using such a powerful art consumed a lot of his energy. However, he was a Fu cultivator and his body was strong; he recovered quickly. Even though he was still a bit out of breath, he dashed to Shirou's direction.

The three-tailed fox spirit caught the imposing man's figure from the corner of her eye. Shirou himself was not too far away from her now. She stamped on the ground and wanted to withdraw into the darkness behind her.

However, a white light flashed in the darkness. Suddenly, a wave of white flower petals flew by and fiercely pierced the air. The lady was surprised and stopped her step.

It was the young woman who was standing to the side; she now blocked the escape route. The flying petals gradually contracted and circled around the green figure. Under the cool moon, it reformed into a small white flower between her fingers.

Footsteps came from behind and the white lady noticed that Shirou and JuShi had arrived. The three people formed a triangle and surrounded her in the center.

The dark monsters were gone and left her alone. In her solitude, she stood silently; surrounded by these humans.

She slightly opened her mouth; her face a bit regretful. However, she didn't say anything. Even now the gentle beauty had never faded from her lovely face.

She looked at BiYao, then at JuShi. Finally, her eyes – gentle as water – landed on Shirou's face.

Shirou tensed.

She didn't try to curse the boy. Instead, she softly asked once again: "Young man, what you saw in the well; can you tell me?"

The three humans startled; they had no idea why the demon was so interested in what Shirou saw in the well. Shirou didn't speak. JuShi shouted: "Shirou _shidi_, don't fall into her trap!"

Shirou nodded and agreed; he remained silent. He raised his swords; ready to charge.

The three-tailed fox spirit looked at him and sighed softly.

Shirou was suddenly puzzled.

Cold moonlight shone from above.

The lady lowered her head; thin eyelashes covered her lovely eyes.

The water like beauty wavered.

Then, she lifted her hand and reached into her clothes. She slowly took an item out.

Everyone stared at it.

It was a round item about half the size of a palm. The outside was surrounded by a clear, green jade ring. In the center, there was a small mirror-like red panel. It was carved with a strange fire token at the center. It was not an ordinary item.

The jade ring took most of the space on that item. At both sides of the ring, there was a red sling tied to it.

Zhou YiXian was stunned; truly stunned. His granddaughter could feel it; the old man had never been like this before. He was like a statue.

She was a bit afraid and pulled on his sleeve: "Grandpa, what's wrong with you?"

"How can this be, how can this be?" YiXian watched the scene blankly and stared at the strange Esper that was in the fox spirit's hand. His voice moaned: "That is clearly FenXiang's most important treasure: Inferno Mirror! The most Yang and righteous item in the word; a holy weapon that FenXiang used to battle demons for thousands of years! How… how can such an item be in the hand of a demon!"

XiaoHuan startled and couldn't help but glance at Inferno Mirror: "Is that Esper really that powerful?"

YiXian sighed: "The world has really changed; a divine tool in the hand of a demon."

"Boo… I thought you were surprised at something important!" XiaoHuan said with contempt.

"What did you say?" YiXian said angrily.

"Such outdated words and yet you are still able to say them so seriously. What era is it now? Who still cares about the difference between good and evil?"

YiXian's tongue was tied; he couldn't say anything.

* * *

A/N: I made sure to word some things carefully here.

If it doesn't feel like I described or characterized JuShi all that much, it's because I didn't really try to. In the end, he's kind of a filler character; a person who's just supposed to represent the rather dogmatic teachings of the 'good' side. His name literally means rock; a bit dumb and just follows his teachings.

YiXian and XiaoHuan are pretty important though; major characters.

Shirou's kind heart can't help but lend a hand to these people. Though, the three-tailed fox spirit doesn't seem too malicious, does she? Alas, Shirou's magic resistance would only be D at best; foxes are quite good at illusions and hexes.

Also, Archlord - BiYao's father - approves of him. He has two opposing directly invested and interested in him now. I cannot see how this could possibly go wrong.

Next Chapter: The arc is titled inferno for a reason; inferno of doubt, inferno of fire, Inferno Mirror


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